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Indecent Displays (Control) Act 1981

Consolidated Text As Enacted Cited authorities 17 Cited in Amendments 55 Related
Vincent
JurisdictionUK Non-devolved
Citation1981 c. 42
(1) If any indecent matter is publicly displayed the person making the display and any person causing or permitting the display to be made shall be guilty of an offence.(2) Any matter which is displayed in or so as to be visible from any public place shall, for the purposes of this section, be deemed to be publicly displayed.a place to which the public are permitted to have access only on payment which is or includes payment for that display; ora shop or any part of a shop to which the public can only gain access by passing beyond an adequate warning notice;included by any person in a television broadcasting service or other television programme service (within the meaning of Part I of the Broadcasting Act 1990) ;included in the display of an art gallery or museum and visible only from within the gallery or museum; ordisplayed by or with the authority of, and visible only from within a building occupied by, the Crown or any local authority; orincluded in a performance of a play (within the meaning of paragraph 14(1) of Schedule 1 to the Licensing Act 2003) in England and Wales or of a play (within the meaning of the Theatres Act 1968) in Scotland;given in a place which as regards that exhibition is required to be licensed under section 1 of that Act or by virtue only of section 5, 7 or 8 of that Act is not required to be so licensed; orwhich is an exhibition to which section 6 of that Act applies given by an exempted organisation as defined in subsection (6) of that section.there shall be disregarded any part of that matter which is not exposed to view; andaccount may be taken of the effect of juxtaposing one thing with another.The warning notice must contain the following words, and no others—
    WARNING Persons passing beyond this notice will find material on display which they may consider indecent. No admittance to persons under 18 years of age.
The word “WARNING” must appear as a heading.No pictures or other matter shall appear on the notice.The notice must be so situated that no one could reasonably gain access to the shop or part of the shop in question without being aware of the notice and it must be easily legible by any person gaining such access.(1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (2) A constable may seize any article which he has reasonable grounds for believing to be or to contain indecent matter and to have been used in the commission of an offence under this Act.(3) In England and Wales, a justice of the peace if satisfied on information on oath that there are reasonable grounds for suspecting that an offence under this Act has been or is being committed on any premises and, in Scotland, a sheriff or justice of the peace on being so satisfied on evidence on oath, may issue a warrant authorising any constable to enter the premises specified in the information or, as the case may be, evidence (if need be by force) F4within fourteen days from the date of issue of the warrant to seize any article which the constable has reasonable grounds for believing to be or to contain indecent matter and to have been used in the commission of an offence under this Act.

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