SO Jean Chilvers thinks feet and inches road signs are antiquated (Letters, June 3). I would think there are several million British citizens who think otherwise.

At school, many people who are still alive today had pounds, shillings and pence; feet, inches and yards; ounces, pounds and hundred weights drilled into them, along with multiplication tables (what are they?), as it would appear Mrs Chilvers' grandchildren are having the metric system drilled into them.

The Government may have said that Britain is going metric, but millions of citizens haven't said so, and I'm one of them.

I was going down a hill yesterday and the sign read "17 per cent" (something to do with VAT?). But it didn't look too steep so I kept going as I hadn't time to stop and work out what the gradient was.

I do think the road signs should be in feet and inches and also in the metric equivalent.

So, I don't think the feet and inches measurement is antiquated. But, wait a minute! Could it be me who is antiquated? I hadn't thought of that. Obviously a dinosaur of a Little Englander!

Colin Wileman,

Tranby Avenue,

Osbaldwick, York.

Updated: 11:33 Tuesday, June 10, 2003