Well Bonny... have a check of this site and try searching for 'side facing'
UKMOT.com MOT Manual 5.1 Seat Belts
It says:
"Rear facing or side facing seats are not required to be fitted with seat belts."
Couple that with:
"Seat belts fitted to the rear of the driver's compartment in a goods vehicle do not require to be fitted with seat belts (unless the seat is the specified passenger seat"
...and bear in mind that he's asking about a 110 HARDTOP, which is technically a goods vehicle, and it's plain to see that in the UK h doesn't need seat belts for a side facing bench seat in the back of his 110.
Now then - your car - I seriously doubt Land Rover would have fitted lap belts in the back if it was going to make the vehicle unMOTable or unroadworthy under UK law. Since it's obvious that fitting seatbelts, or having had them fitted from new, won't make the vehicle
undriveable, nor will it stop a ferry company or the tunnel operator from selling you a ticket, it's therefore quite feasible to take it to France with belts fitted. What I would like to know is, were you ever pulled over in France by the police and, if so, did they inspect the seat belts fitted to the vehicle?
So - back to the original question - does he (please read the next word
very carefully)
need seatbelts in the back in the UK?
Also, can you categorically state whether either having them or not having them fitted renders the vehicle unroadworthy under French law?