IT is not often that we find ourselves in the same corner as the UK Independence Party. But, as a Sunderland greengrocer finds himself in court for the heinous crime of selling bananas by the pound rather than the kilo, our sympathies lie strongly with the grocer, who is backed by that organisation.

Indeed, it was a pleasant experience to purchase an item from an excellent Skipton shop by the quarter or half pound rather than the kilo this week (we're being a little vague on this to ensure the weights and measures police aren't round like a shot) and know exactly how much was being purchased.

We know exactly how tall to gauge a man who is six feet high but how high in centimetres is that? And if we say he weighs 16 stones, readers will know that he's a burly chap. But if the police issued an appeal to catch a burglar who was 80 kilogrammes in weight and about 210 centimetres tall, the vast proportion of our readers will have no idea what they're looking for.

Not a single member of our staff has a clue how tall they are or how much they weigh in metric values.

Britain's greengrocers should be allowed to carry on selling their goods by the pound - just as our pubs keep on selling beer by the pint.