Britain mustn’t abandon imperial measures

SIR – Those who criticise the continued use of imperial measures (Letters, January 20) ignore their impact on culture and identity.

British and American literature and idiom are filled with references to these measures, and I am proud to live in a country that chooses to be different. Of course scientific measurement should be logical and consistent, but traditional measures provide a sense of connection with the country and its history.

I learnt both imperial and metric measures at school; if there is any confusion, it has been caused by the refusal of educationalists to teach our historic measurements. Michael Staples

Seaford, East Sussex

SIR – As others have pointed out, the metric system has many strengths. Coherent and rational, it makes complex calculations simple. It’s great for science.

But sometimes in daily life it’s helpful to have a measure the width of your hand or the length of your foot, rather than a decimal fraction of the distance travelled by light in a vacuum in 1/299,792,458th of a second.

When it comes to languages it’s considered good to be bilingual. May I suggest the same principle applies to measurement?

Warwick Cairns British Weights and Measures Association Windsor, Berkshire

SIR – As we close in on our exit from the EU, I would like to pay a tribute to the British horse-racing industry.

Throughout our tenure as a member state, it continued to trade horses in guineas, race over miles and furlongs and measure stock in four-inch chunks (hands). I don’t know why a Brussels edict didn’t descend on it.

Dave Alsop Churchdown, Gloucestershire