LAST week, in the Royal Courts of Justice in the Strand, London, five honest men appealed against convictions for their so-called crimes of selling bananas, sprouts, sweet potatoes, and mackerel by the pound.

Anybody who has not been studying this case might be forgiven for wondering if the legal system of this country has gone mad. There are plenty of real criminals out there, so why pick on honest traders who are merely selling goods in a manner that most of their customers understand?

Well, when Steve Thoburn, a greengrocer, was convicted (of this heinous crime!) in Sunderland, the judge said that Britain had surrendered her sovereignty to the primacy of European Union law - in other words that a British Act of Parliament can be overturned by a mere EU directive.

This appeal, and in fact the whole case, might appear trivial, but it is of massive constitutional importance. If it fails then it will be clear that we have already surrendered more power to Brussels than most people realise and that laws are being made by a governing body over which the British people have no democratic control.

The two judges are considering the matter for several weeks (obviously not good on decision-making!)

We, in the U K Independence Party, are not particularly bothered whether traders use the metric or imperial system to weigh their goods. What we object to is the imposition on the people of this country of totally ridiculous and unnecessary laws made in Brussels, and the vast amount of taxpayers' money that policing this legislation entails.

RICHARD CHAMINGS,

U K Independence Party

Storridge,

Malvern.