A British grocer who defied European regulations by selling fruits and vegetables in pounds and ounces instead of kilograms went on trial today facing the possibility of a £5,000 sterling fine.
The case by a local council against market vendor Mr Steven Thoburn is the first of its kind in Britain since strict laws were introduced to replace the imperial weights and measures system with the metric system.
"He is being charged for the failure to have available scales capable of weighing goods in metric measures," Sunderland council spokesman Mr John Bailey told reporters.
"It's permissible to have scales that weigh in both systems, but the transaction must be done using metric measurements," he said.
"The eyes of Europe will be on Sunderland while this case is in progress because it will decide the future of our traditional weights and measures." Mr Bailey said.
Mr Thoburn, 36, was dubbed a "metric martyr" when his imperial-measure scales were seized by British trading standards officers from his market stall in Southwark, Sunderland last July.
Reuters