The European Commission is accused of misleading the public after saying it will allow Britain to retain pints, miles and ounces alongside metric measurements.

The UK Metric Association (UKMA) said Verheugen's statement does not mean that traders can go back to weighing and pricing in imperial measures. Just as they do now, traders will have to weigh or measure goods in metric units (kilograms, litres or metres) at the checkout and also display prices in metric units - with the option of a supplementary indication in non-metric units.

Picture: Günter Verheugen