Without getting political; here's the news on hte British sword ban:
As of today, (6th of april, 2008) curved swords with cutting edges of over 50cm are illegal. Straight swords of any length remain legal.
Among the banned items are leaf-bladed swords, katanas, cavalry sabres, certain seaxes, scythes, machetes, etc. Any curved blade less than 50cm remains legal.
The law covers all forms of transfer, including inheritance and outright giving them away.
I've only covered what the law is, rather than why it's in place in order to avoid the dreaded scourge that is politics.
And really, to be honest, i'm not sure this thread can proceed without getting political so i'm not going to be surprised if it's locked.
The fact remains that this is an important matter that affects a lot of us here, and needs to be stated.
IN order to make this a little lighter, why not post some pictures of your freshly-illegal things?

EDIT: you can still own and buy a curved blade as long as you've got a good reason to buy it; for example, if you're a recreationalist, or a practicing martial artist.