The End of the Pint in the UK?

Is this the end of an institution?

For more than 300 years, the stamp of the crown on top of a pub glass has stood as a guarantee that it is big enough to deliver a full pint.

But this British tradition has now fallen victim to the extension of the EU's tentacles into national life and the demise of UK manufacturing.

Critics fear the loss of the crown will be followed by the loss of the pint itself, with British drinkers being required to switch to continental metric measures.

Ever since 1699, successive governments have found it necessary to measure and certify the pint and half-pint glasses made and used in this country.

The rules, which were intended to assure suspicious beer drinkers that they were not being given short measures, meant a crown and certification number was printed on each glass.

However, the EU is introducing a standard European-wide system for guaranteeing the size and safety of glasses.

Consequently, the new glasses now appearing in British pubs and bars carry a CE mark - which, in French, stands for ‘European Conformity'.

The loss of the crown is further evidence that the EU's grip on the nation's weights and measures is tightening.

Already greengrocers have been hauled before the courts for refusing to abide by EU rules that fresh produce must now be sold in kilos and grams, rather than pounds and ounces.