Trading standards officers have ruled that the owners of Kuchnia Polska bar and restaurant, in Sunny Bar, replace all 300 of its glasses within 28 days or face prosecution.

Nic Davison opened the restaurant in May and has been selling popular Polish-brewed Zywiec lager in specially produced 0.3 and 0.5 litre glasses - instead of pint and half pint measures.

The council has now ordered Mr Davison to stop using the glasses or face a £2,000 fine because he is breaking the law.

Mr Davison, 36, an accountant, opened the restaurant with his partner Dr Krystyna Ciuraj, a GP.

He said: "I believe that the trading standards officer's interpretation of this law is incorrect. I'm not going to ignore the infringement notice but will tell them that I won't adhere to it and change my glasses.

"We will fight them if they want to fight.

"What I want to do is get the Government to change the law because it is silly.

"It's causing problems for British business people across the land."

The difference between a pint glass and a half litre glass is just 68 millilitres, but under the Weights and Measures Order Act (1988) all draught beer and cider must be sold in pints.

Managers at the restaurant said other Polish bars in Manchester, Nottingham and Sheffield have had no problems selling the beer in litre glasses.

After trading standards served the restaurant with an infringement notice for serving beer in 0.3 and 0.5 litre glasses last week Mr Davison enlisted the help of the Metric Martyrs Movement.

The movement has insisted that businesses should be able to sell goods in whatever weight measurements they choose.

Campaigners have also pointed out that many pubs sell soft drinks, such as coke, in pints - therefore breaking Weights and Measures Act.

Neil Herron, campaign director of the Metric Martyrs Movement, said: "Yet again we have officials who have failed to exercise any common sense.

"This is going to make the Government a laughing stock all over Europe."

Customers at Kuchnia Polska insisted the authenticity of selling beer in half litre glasses was part of the bar's attraction.

One regular John Robinson, from Toll Bar, said: "I'm hoping the council will see sense and look at what use this restriction has.

"I certainly don't see a problem with it."