Brian
If you want to Can as the Americans do - then may I suggest the
following site for the jars
http://www.cookability.biz/home-disc...jars/b_697.htm

There is a brilliant yahoo group for canning
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Canning2

The jars come with lids, but you must use new lids each time, it is
unsafe to reuse them. I buy mine from Goldas kitchen in Canada, as
Ball in the USA do not ship to the UK (Goldas is somehow related to
them). Found it cheaper than buying the lids here.

Cookability did stock some Ball jars last year, but have been on the
Mason jars for a while. Which is a shame as they are only in regular
rather than wide mouth jars.
I have tried with new jam jars, which suffer breakages in a BWB

There is a brilliant book the Blue Ball Book of Home Canning

Any queries, feel free to ask

Regards

Clifford
Bawtry, Doncaster, South Yorkshire