<P> A consultation by the EU aimed at bypassing this impasse was launched in 2004 . The outcome was Directive 2007 / 45 / EC which deregulated prescribed packaging of most products, leaving only wines and liqueurs subject to prescribed EU - wide pre-packaging legislation . While this effectively undid much of the work done by the Metrication Board by deregulating prescribed sizing for over 40 products, the law relating to labelling of products has remained unchanged . </P> <P> The civil service is bound by law to follow EU directives relating to public administration . Government disseminators of information include the Office for National Statistics and the Ordnance Survey office both of whom, being government departments, use metric units in their work . </P> <P> Standards pertaining to transport infrastructure were metricated using soft conversions, as part of the general metrication of the engineering industry--the standard railway track gauges fixed at 4 ft 81⁄2 in in 1845 was redefined as 1.435 m--a decrease of 0.1 mm but well within the engineering tolerances . Motorway marker posts used by road maintenance teams and emergency services demarcate locations in multiples of 100 m . Standards relating to the design and building of new road and rail vehicles have been metric since the engineering changeover in the 1970s . Imperial units have been retained for both road and railway signage except on new railways such as the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, and the Tyne and Wear Metro and London Tramlink which along with all other modern British tram systems also operate in metric . The Cambrian Line has also changed to metric units with the change to ERMTS signalling . London Underground has converted to using metric units for distances but not for speeds . </P> <P> Apart from the sale of petrol, which was metricated in the 1980s, motorists have seen little metrication . Speedometers and mandatory information on car advertisements such as fuel consumption are given in both metric and imperial units . The 1994 TSRGD permitted the use of metric units alongside imperial units for width and height warning signs and dual metric / imperial signs became mandatory from March 2015 . Distances and speed restrictions are shown only in imperial units . </P>

When did england convert to the metric system