Section 3: Limitation of actions of contract and tort and certain other actions

(1) The following actions shall not be brought after the expiration of six years from the date on which the cause of action arose, that is to say actions- (a) founded on contract or on tort; (b) to enforce a recognisance; (c) to enforce an award; (d) to recover any sum recoverable by virtue of any enactment, other than a penalty or forfeiture or sum by way of penalty or forfeiture, except that in the case of actions for damages for negligence, nuisance or breach of duty, whether the duty exists by virtue of a contract or of provision made by or under an enactment or independently of any such contract or any such provision, where the damages claimed by the plaintiff for the negligence, nuisance or breach of duty consist of or include damages in respect of personal injuries to any person, this subsection shall have effect as if for the reference to six years there were substituted a reference to three years. (2) An action for an account shall not be brought in respect of any matter which arose more than six years before the commencement of the action. (3) An action shall not be brought upon any judgment after the expiration of twelve years from the date on which the judgment became enforceable, and no arrears of interest in respect of any judgment debt shall be recovered after the expiration of six years from the date on which the interest became due. (4) An action to recover any penalty or forfeiture, or sum by way of penalty or forfeiture, recoverable by virtue of any enactment shall not be brought after the expiration of two years from the date on which the cause of action accrued; but for the purposes of this subsection, the expression "penalty" shall not include a fine to which any person is liable on conviction of a criminal offence. (5) Subsection (1) shall apply to an action to recover seamen's wages but, except as provided in this subsection, this section shall not apply to any cause of action within the admiralty jurisdiction of the court which is enforceable in rem. (6) This section shall not apply to any claim for specific performance of a contract or for an injunction or for other equitable relief, except insofar as any provision of this section may be applied by the court by analogy in like manner as the periods of limitation in force before the commencement of this Act have heretofore been applied.