Victory for consumers and common sense

Local traders have joined the Chairwoman of the European Parliament's Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee, Arlene McCarthy, in welcoming the proposals from the European Commission to indefinitely extend the right for UK traders to do business in imperial measures, alongside the metric figures, and to keep using pints and miles.

Ms McCarthy said "This has been an emotive issue in the UK since we went metric, it is good that the European Commission understands we do not need regulation for regulation's sake, and that countries' traditions and culture need to be recognised.

"There is no appetite in the European Commission to remove imperial measures from Britain's stores and market stalls.

"Supermarket shelves, shops, and even cookery books and shows with celebrity chefs increasingly use metric measurements. 

"Many young people now work predominantly in metric measurements and as a multicultural society it is essential for consumer protection that people are able to compare metric prices and ensure they are not being ripped-off. 

"However dual pricing means that those consumers who prefer to ask for their tomatoes or potatoes in pounds and ounces can continue to do so, and that too is good for consumer choice. That is why I welcome these proposals, and that pounds and ounces won't be forced from our high streets".