Metric Martyrs

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The Metric Martyrs are a group of British food sellers and greengrocers who tried to sell their produce in imperial units only i.e. without reference to metric units. They were fined for failure to allow use of metric units and other offences. They fought the fines in a two-year court battle (2000-2002) which they ultimately lost. British law does not, as of 2007, prohibit the use of imperial units for this purpose; the group were fined for not using metric units simultaneously. The group has become a symbol of the anti-metrication movement in Britain. The main defendant in the case, Steve Thoburn, died of a heart attack in 2004.

Steve Thoburn was convicted of two offences under the Weights and Measures Act of using weighing equipment that was not stamped by a Weights and Measures Inspector. The stamps had been obliterated because the scales were not capable of weighing in the metric system and were no longer permitted for commercial use.

Colin Hunt was convicted of six offences under the Price Marking Order 1999 of failing to display a unit price per kilogram. In addition, he was convicted of four offences under the Prices Act 1974 of delivering a lesser quantity of goods than corresponded with the price charged.

John Dove was convicted of two offences under the Price Marking Order 1999 of failing to display a unit price per kilogram and of two offences of using a scale that was only capable of weighing in the imperial system.

Julian Harman was convicted of two offences under the Price Marking Order 1999 of failing to display a unit price per kilogram and of two offences of using a scale that was only capable of weighing in the imperial system.

Peter Collins was not convicted of any criminal offence. He appealed to the magistrates court to have conditions on his street trading licence removed. These conditions, in effect, required him to sell his goods in metric quantities but also permitted him to use imperial quantities as supplementary units, with the requirement that the metric units be more prominent than the imperial versions.