Around 100,000 people with conditions such as dementia were detained in hospitals and care homes last year without the proper checks being carried out, the Law Commission has revealed.

Under current laws, those who lack mental capacity can be detained when it is deemed to be in their best interests. Various checks should be carried out as part of ‘Deprivation of Liberty’, to ensure the powers are being lawfully used.

New research suggests that a third of the UK’s cohabitees wrongly believe that they have the same legal protection as those who are married.

A survey conducted by polling company YouGov put a range of questions to 1,000 unmarried couples living in various parts of the UK.

People who own properties overseas may not be able to rely on agreements which currently allow estates spread across multiple jurisdictions to be dealt with under UK law, post-Brexit.

David Webb, a Director and Head of Wills, Probate & Older Client Services with Mander Hadley, has issued the warning as concerns escalate about whether the Brussels IV regulation can be relied upon after the UK leaves the EU.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has stated that it has run out of time to push through legislation which would have seen a massive increase in probate fees introduced in May.

Fees had been due to increase, significantly in many cases, with a fixed fee of £155 (for those applying through a solicitor) being replaced by a sliding scale. This would have meant estates worth more than £2million would have been hit with a 9,000 per cent increase and would have attracted a fee of £20,000.

A new study has revealed that each year UK employees work, on average, 68 days more than they are contracted to, yet receive no additional pay.

The survey, by TotallyMoney.com, questioned 2,000 people in full time salaried or hourly employment.