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The EC decision that was announced on the 11th of September 2007 now means the UK can continue to use miles, yards, feet and
inches on road signs as well as pints for the measuring of beer and milk. It also allows the weight of food to be displayed
in pounds and ounces, so long as it is in addition to a metric weight. This is good, as this was going to become illegal after
2009.
However, the announcement still means that the use of imperial scales for weighing out goods is not allowed. The acre
is to be phased out as a unit for land registration, and imperial units are still not being taught in schools. These omissions
are unfortunate, and it is perpetually unclear as to whether the EU or UK authorities are the ones who can change it. The
use of imperial units for many official purposes, such as planning, also remains illegal. In short this battle is far from
over, there is still a considerable distance to go until imperial measurements have thier rightful place alongside metric
in a position of equality. However it must be said that the EC announcement is a step in the right direction, and a welcome
reprive.
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