The 'Rebel Butcher' whose fight for pounds and ounces garnered support in the States

Keane Fletcher was a fourth generation butcher in Wingfield when his life changed – all because he sold meat to his customers in pounds and ounces.

Angry Trading Standards officers threatened to take away his scales unless he started weighing and selling in metric measurements – and there was a fear he might go to prison.

But perhaps most surprising of all was interest from the New York Times newspaper and then an invite onto TV star Oprah Winfrey’s show in the USA – an offer he turned down because there was no one to look after his shop!

But he did appear on Look North and Calendar and joined a delegation of butchers to the Houses of Parliament where they put their point about keeping imperial measures to then Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Margaret Beckett.

Nowadays, former “Rebel Butcher” Keane lives with his wife Lynn in Rawmarsh and looks back with pride, surprise and some anger at what happened, and revealed that someone has voiced interest in making a documentary about him.

He said it all began when a Trading Standards official saw him serve meat in ounces to an old lady.

Keane said: “A lady bought a pound of mincemeat and the man came in and said you cannot use those scales and that he would take them off the counter.

“I said if you touch the scales I will give you a good hiding.”

Later, the Trading Standards boss turned up and threatened court proceedings unless Keane went metric.

It was soon afterwards that the New York Times got in touch.

Keane said: “A big Mercedes turned up and the New York Times staff got out. There were lots of school kids watching – I had told them to be on their best behaviour.

“When the story got in the New York Times and people read about it they thought this butcher in England is fighting against authority.

“At the time it was fantastic. The amount of letters of support I got from America was amazing.

“And when Oprah Winfrey’s programme rang up they said she was very excited.

“I put the phone down as I thought it was a hoax, but it wasn’t. She wanted me to go to the US but I wanted to remain in my shop as I didn’t know another butcher who I could trust to look after it.”

In the end, no one went to jail. In fact, a senior lawyer advised Keane that it would have been illegal. But the stress it caused his family made Keane close his shop and leave butchering.

But he doesn’t regret making a stand.

“You can weigh in pounds and ounces now so why were we all hounded?” he said.

“One chap said to me it was like the Post Office scandal where people were forced to plead guilty.

“Back then local people used to laugh and they called me a celebrity but I’m not a celebrity, I’m just me. I was just a Rotherham butcher standing up for myself.

“To cause all that trouble and bring police to my shop and threaten prison when you can still now buy in pounds and ounces, I just think it was a mistake.

“It just beggars belief.”