Recently, Andrew, a trading standards officer, decided to visit the local
Sunday market. A local consumer group had asked trading standards to check
out some complaints.
Weights and Measures is an important part of the job. Consumers have to know
that what they are buying is what they are paying for. And it’s not just the
small street trader who’s targeted. We have to check out big supermarkets as
well.
So, Andrew decided to start by confronting Phil, a trader he’d known for
some time. He’d had trouble with Phil before and had given him a formal
warning about his faulty scales. As a he watched a kilo of meat being
weighed out, he didn’t believe that Phil had changed his ways.
Phil looked a little uneasy as Andrew took out his weights and measures
equipment. Phil's scam was quickly spotted: a small weight was taped to the
bottom of the scales! Customers had indeed been given short measure and had
paid for more than they got.
I’m afraid this time it could be a court order, Phil. You’ve been warned
before. I’m going to take these scales away as evidence and raise a
prosecution against you for fraudulent trading. You had better decide what
you do in the meantime….I’ll be in touch.
