From Ananova:
> Ananova :
>
>
>
>
>
> 'Metric martyr' loses court
>battle
>
>
> Britain's latest so-called
>metric martyr has lost his battle to sell
> fruit and vegetables in
>pounds and ounces.
>
> Grocer Peter Collins, 51,
>from Sutton, Surrey, had claimed that
> Sutton Council had breached
>his commercial freedom of
> expression under the European
>Human Rights Act by trying to
> force him to sell in kilos.
>
> He lost his case at Sutton
>Magistrates Court aimed at lifting a
> condition on his licence
>compelling him to sell his goods in
> metric measurements in line
>with European directives.
>
> Costs of �13,000 were awarded
>to the council, which vowed to
> enforce payment.
>
> After the ruling, Mr Collins,
>who has traded from the stall in
> Sutton High Street for 15
>years, said that it was "very probable"
> that he would appeal.
>
> He said: "It's not the local
>council I'm fighting, it's Brussels. The
> outcome of this case says
>that we do not make the law and if
> we do not abide by Brussels'
>rules then woe betide you. This
> ruling is effectively saying
>that I should teach the public the
> metric system and I do not
>see why I should do that."
>
> Trading standards officers
>had warned Mr Collins that he had to
> sell and advertise his
>produce in kilos or face losing his licence.
> The warning came after
>undercover officers bought a bunch of
> grapes from him in imperial
>weights.
>
> Tony Northcott, head of
>health and trading standards at Sutton
> Council, said that they did
>not want to drive Mr Collins out of
> business but they had to
>enforce the law.
>
> Michael Plumbe), chairman of
>the British Weights and
> Measures Association, said:
>"It is a perverse decision which is
> a complete negation of
>British justice. It is a bad day for British
> justice.
>
> We believe we have a strong
>case for appeal now."
>
> The council had argued that
>using metric measurements will
> be compulsory by December
>2009 and that confidence in the
> new system will grow as
>people get used to dealing in metric
> measurement.
>
> Story filed: 12:27 Friday
>13th July 2001
--
UK Metrication Association: http://www.metric.org.uk/
