Thousands of butchers in England are to open today without compulsory new hygiene licences and could face up to two years in jail.

At least 70 per cent of England's 12,000 meat outlets have so far been issued with the licences, which come into force today.

There is a backlog in processing applications, but some retailers are believed to be refusing to cooperate with the scheme.

All retailers which sell raw meat and ready-to-eat foods together, including supermarkets, should be covered by the new licences.

They were introduced by the Government's Food Standards Agency (FSA) in response to an outbreak of E.coli virus in Scotland in 1996 which killed 17 people, and made 500 ill.

Traders have to pay £100 for a 12-month certificate, and have also been expected to complete £210 hygiene training courses.

So far, about 8,000 English butchers are believed to have been issued with the special permits, which have been compulsory in Scotland for a month and will come into force in Wales and Northern Ireland shortly.