Dubbed the “metric martyr” in his Sunderland hometown, Steven Thoburn was in court yesterday, battling his rights over what the judge described as “the most famous bunch of bananas in English legal history.”
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Grocer Thoburn sold 34p worth of bananas to local council officials in pounds and ounces last year. His scales were promptly confiscated, as officials insisted that EU standardisation means that everything should be sold in metric weights. The prosecution was brought on the back of secondary legislation introduced to Britain without parliamentary debate, and sparked a court case that effectively pitted British heritage against EU directive.
Yesterday, the judge decreed that Thoburn had indeed broken the law. His supporters immediately rallied and commented that he would not have to pay any of the court costs. Meanwhile, Sunderland Council said it felt “vindicated” by the result, admitting however that its action had not been popular.
