Looking at someone's consumer unit the other day, as one does, I noticed that the earth connection from the cu was to a clamp on the lead sheath of the incoming supply cable. This arrangement has been in place for many years, but was almost certainly done by a previous owner as an unofficial, untested, modification.
This is in a pre-war house, in an urban area, with underground supply, with a couple of inches of a lead sheath visible where it emerges from a thickly-insulated supply cable. There is a single 30mA RCD protecting all circuits, which apparently trips readily on any neutral (or, presumably, phase) to earth short. There's equipotential bonding in place to the incoming gas and water pipes, and supplementary bonding in the bathroom. All wiring is around 20-30 years old, with some later additions, but nothing older.
The owners asked me what they should do about the earthing: leave "well" alone? Get something (what?) tested? Throw themselves at the mercy of their supplier, and ask him to provide an earth? Treat it as TT (with or without an extra earth rod? They're an elderly couple, and don't really want massive disruption.
I said I'd ask here.