CUSTOMERS buying everything from sausages to satsumas have been sold short at shops across Renfrewshire.

A crackdown carried out by trading standards officers from Renfrewshire Council found that a number of retailers had broken strict rules that minimise variation among packs of food in a bid to prevent buyers getting less than they pay for.

Cheese, chestnuts, tablet, toffee and plums were also among the items found to be on sale without matching their advertised weight.

Spot checks carried out last month saw officers discover short weight packs on shelves in national supermarkets and local shops alike.

Councillor Eddie Devine, convener of Renfrewshire’s environment policy board, is hoping the clampdown will act as a warning to all retailers that they must abide by the rules.

“Whenever people buy an item, they are entitled to expect that the weight printed on the packet is really what they are getting,” said Cllr Devine (pictured right).

“Our trading standards officers protect both consumers and businesses from unscrupulous business practices.

“The rules actually allow a minimum variation to give packers essential flexibility, so it is simply unacceptable for these to be breached.”

Officers from Renfrewshire’s trading standards team visit a variety of premises, including retailers, manufacturers and importers, in their efforts to make sure customers aren’t getting a raw deal.

They ensure weighing and measuring equipment is accurate and is properly used, that goods are safe and correctly labelled, that descriptions are accurate and prices are displayed.

For the past 10 years, there has been a legal obligation on sellers to ensure that all pre-packaged goods sold in constant quantities meet three rules.

The first is that the average of the batch is at or above the declared weight.

A small percentage below the stated weight is allowed, but no more than one in 40 items in any batch can be at a weight below this.

The law also requires that none of the items in any batch is out by more than twice this “tolerable negative error” weight.

For consumer advice or further information about work done by trading standards, visit www.renfrewshire.gov.uk/tradingstandards.