WE believe that the following information relating to the regulations introduced on January 1, making the use of pounds and ounces a criminal offence, will be of immediate interest to traders and consumers.

Over the past few weeks, trading standards officers have been instructing traders to convert weighing machines and signs to the metric system. However, it is now almost certain that these regulations are now ultra vires and that the compulsory use of metric units cannot be legally enforced.

Eminent barrister Michael Shrimpton, has released a 27-page legal opinion demonstrating that compulsory metric regulations are illegal.

This is because pounds and ounces and other imperial units are expressly permitted by the Weights and Measures Act 1985 and cannot be nullified by mere regulations.

The 1985 Act, therefore, stands and trading standards officers who tell traders to use metric do so with no legal authority.

A test case is expected in the next 90 days. We therefore advise traders not to convert equipment or signs to metric until the matter is resolved via the legal process.

Copies of Mr Shrimpton's legal opinion are available free of charge from Tony Bennett, assistant to Jeffrey Titford MEP, by telephoning 01245 266466 or by writing to: Office of Jeffrey Titford, Rochester House, 145 New London Road, Chelmsford, Essex CM2 0QT.

JOHN GARDNER, Retail Liaison Officer, British Weights and Measure Association, Montgomery Street, Edinburgh.

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