Moseley is rarely concerned by the machinations of the European Superstate but this week it was rocked by an attempt by the European Court  to interfere with a much loved cultural icon. It has come to the attention of those bureaucrats in Brussels that local celebrity, Pete the Feet, appears to be still operating under an imperial nomenclature.

Under powers granted to the European Union, through the European Communities Act 1972, Pete has been instructed to switch to the metric system or face the combined wrath of an entire administrative continent.

We talked to the landlord of the Junction who raved at us “It’s a disgrace, Pete isn’t a system of measurement, he’s a man who doesn’t like shoes.” An argument that held little sway with the powers that be.

In a landmark ruling by the court they have instructed Pete to drop the use of the word Feet from his name. In a gesture of conciliation they have suggested that he might choose to call himself Peter the Meter in the short term. It is not clear how he can use this name to manifest eccentricity.

Pete himself seemed relatively calm about the attempt to rename him, he told us “Whilst I appreciate the great strides the European State has taken to maintain peace for over half a century, and the relative certainty it has brought to agricultural production I’m still not clear on why it’s worried if I’ve got socks on or not”.

Another much loved British institution falls before our very eyes.