The Barbed Wire Act 1893 (56 & 57 Vict. c. 32) was an Act

Act of Parliament

An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...

 of the Parliament of the United Kingdom

Parliament of the United Kingdom

The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...

.

It provided that where barbed wire

Barbed wire

Barbed wire, also known as barb wire , is a type of fencing wire constructed with sharp edges or points arranged at intervals along the strand. It is used to construct inexpensive fences and is used atop walls surrounding secured property...

 was placed adjoining a highway

Highway

A highway is any public road. In American English, the term is common and almost always designates major roads. In British English, the term designates any road open to the public. Any interconnected set of highways can be variously referred to as a "highway system", a "highway network", or a...

 in such a manner as to which pose a danger to people or animals using the highway, then the local authority was empowered to demand its removal; if the owner of the wire failed to remove it, they could apply for a court order, and if this failed they were empowered to remove it themselves and charge any expenses to the owner.

The Act has since been repealed by various legislation, predominantly by the Highways Act 1959.