THE proprietor of a garage on Exmoor is currently under fire from Trading Standards officers because he is selling petrol in British gallons instead of European litres. If he switches to the metric system, the provision of new pumps will cost him £14,000. If he decides to stop trading, filling the petrol storage area with concrete will cost him £11,000. If he does neither, he will be fined £5,000 and possibly be sent to prison. He has stuck a scrap of paper on the petrol pumps on which he has scribbled the metric equivalents of gallons, but the Trading Standards officers say that isn't good enough.

The Trading Standards officers said if he were to be allowed to continue trading in gallons, it would be unfair on all the other traders who have already switched to metric. In that case, why can't those who have already paid to switch simply pay again, so that those with true British blood in their veins can continue to uphold the traditions and culture of our country of which they are so proud? It is the job of Trading Standards officers to protect the public from rogue traders, not attack honest traders. Imperial measurements have been in use in Great Britain since time immemorial. If unelected, dictatorial, Eurocrats are now delivering directives against us, the Trading Standards officers should be protecting us against them, not cowering down to them by obeying such directives.

Our politicians have always been quick to say how deeply they believe in democracy. As European directives are always issued by the unelected, and therefore undemocratic, European Commission, it is high time the British government held a national referendum on directives to find out which directives the British people accept and cast out those we do not. Meanwhile, the garage proprietor on Exmoor deserves our entire unflinching support. There are many traders like him throughout the country also refusing to give in. We all look forward to the day when their fight is won and the metric system becomes illegal in Great Britain. – Anthony Reeve, Littledean.