Pints to be abolished

A traditional pint jug

The letter below was published in The Northern Echo - Friday 9 September

Sir

.

Pressure is mounting on Britain to join the EU in using only metric measures, and abolish the mile, pint and acre in favour of kilometres, litres and hectares.

.

The UK Government has recently been reminded by the European Commission of its legal requirements to set a date to convert into metric measures with the rest of Europe.

.

We may not be able to order a pint of beer. The British Government has now passed a law saying even the mention of imperial measurements - pounds and ounces - will be illegal by 2009. The British Government of the day in 1979 promised to introduce metric measurements but was given a "derogation" allowing it to delay implementation of some of the changes.

.

The EU commission regard the country's failure to propose a deadline is viewed as a breach of the spirit of its commitments, which of course means that we must all be forced to comply !

.

Peter Troy, Sedgefield