A British court has convicted a 36-year-old fruit and vegetable trader who refused to convert to European metric measures and sell his goods in kilograms and grams.
Steven Thoburn was prosecuted for using Imperial-only scales in breach of the Weights and Measures Act of 1985, which was brought into line with new EU legislation on January 1st, 2000.
Thoburn had denied two charges against him and said he was only trying to give his customers what they wanted.
Leading lawyer Michael Shrimpton, who represented Thoburn, said the case was essentially about "selling a pound of bananas" and if it was lost the European Union would be free to pick away at British constitutional law.
Shrimpton maintained that British laws took precedence over European directives and if the court ruled against him it would open the doors for all British legislation to be changed.
He said that would lead to the loss of such traditions as the pint of beer, the mile and pint of milk, which are currently protected.
Prosecutor Eleanor Sharpston, whose trading standards department in Sunderland, northeast England, brought the prosecution, said that if Britain wanted to be part of Europe it had to abide by its laws. AFP
