THE campaign 18 months ago by the so-called Metric Martyrs to be allowed to sell goods by the pound, rather than the kilo, put fire into the bellies of those who oppose Britain's involvement with all things Continental.

So what the Euro-sceptics will make of our Page 1 story today about the Cardinal's Hat is anyone's guess.

The Friar Street premises, which eight weeks ago re-opened as a traditional Austrian bar, has been told by Worcestershire County Council Trading Standards that it can no longer sell its beer in litres.

And the reason? Although the rest of Europe sells beer in metric measures, in England it is illegal to do so.

UK traders selling loose goods by weight - like meat or vegetables - have been obliged by law to use metric units since January 1, 2000, though old imperial measurements can be displayed alongside them.

But as John Dell, a Trading Standards spokesman says, "converse to almost everything else, you just can't serve beer in metric quantities".

It's worth pointing out that Britain is a mix of imperial and metric. A person may run 100 metres, but claim to be six feet tall. He may buy a litre of petrol but measure distance in miles.

In such a community traders should be allowed to serve up what they want to, how they want.

The rules must be designed to make sure the customer gets what he's paying for - no more and no less.