2,000 warnings given for faulty pumps, meters and scales

MORE than 2,000 warnings were issued to the operators of faulty measuring instruments such as fuel pumps, taxi meters and supermarket weighing scales last year.

Figures supplied by the National Standards Authority of Ireland showed that thousands of consumers could have been overcharged through inaccurate measuring equipment.

Almost one in five fuel pumps were discovered to be wrongly calibrated.

However, an NSAI spokesperson played down fears of widespread fraud by owners of such equipment by claiming the vast majority of measuring instruments had only required minor adjustments or recalibration.

The NSAI spokesperson said most inaccuracies in the equipment had largely arisen through ordinary use.

The NSAI said its inspectors visited almost 4,000 premises last year which resulted in the testing of 17,000 individual pieces of measuring equipment. They included almost 8,000 fuel pumps located at 1,300 petrol stations.

An additional 50,000 tests were carried out by third-party inspectors authorised by the NSAI.

Other common items which are regularly tested include weighing scales in supermarkets, drink dispensers in pubs and weighbridges.

The NSAI confirmed that 1,400 out of 2,000 warnings, which required corrective action, were issued by its inspectors during 2010.

There were also 13 prosecutions taken for non-compliance where a trader had failed to take appropriate corrective action following receipt of warning.

All prosecutions were related to non-compliant taxi meters and resulted in 10 convictions.

Under relevant legislation, prosecutions at District Court level can result in fines of up to €4,000 plus a 12-month term of imprisonment. Offenders can also be fined up to €225 per day for continuing non-compliance with a warning by the NSAI.

“The level of warnings and prosecutions underlines the effectiveness of the compliance culture within the economy underpinned by NSAI inspections,” said the spokesperson.

The NSAI reported a 7% increase in its income last year to €18.5 million and a net surplus of just under €1m. The Oireachtas grant to the NSAI was reduced by 12% to €7.3m.