Farmington, who make fireplaces, walling and architectural detailing from the Cotswold stone they quarry, have now had a run-in with Marks & Spencer.

Martin Robins, Farmington\'s MD, has consistently made the most of every opportunity to contest the misuse of the concept of natural stone in man-made products and spent last year in dispute with Aga, the parent of fireplace makers Elgin & Hall, over their claim that a product they described as Cotswold was every bit as good as, and barely distinguishable from, the real stone.

Now it\'s M&S\'s turn. The retailers started selling a fireplace called Farmington late last year. Martin Robins went into immediate action to protect the name of his company and the name under which the fireplaces are sold, as they have been for many years.

M&S had no option but to change the name of their product, which they did as soon as they heard from Farmington. They said they had conducted a trademark search, which had not revealed the name.

Martin Robins, of course, issued a press release, as he always does, and the tale was told in the City Diary of the Telegraph, gaining Farmington a little more of the publicity that the company has so successfully achieved through its various disputes with generally much larger competitors over the years.