Tesco overcharged customers for fuel

Tesco's £18,000 fuel fault fine

The Tesco garage at Ystrad Mynach where customers were overcharged
Supermarket group Tesco has been fined £18,000 after motorists at a south Wales service station were overcharged for fuel for nine months.

Caerphilly Council prosecuted the firm under the Weights and Measures Act 1985 after a routine inspection by trading standards at its Ystrad Mynach store.

The grocery chain was also ordered to pay £6,500 court costs after admitting six measuring offences.

Tesco began refunding customers in February. It has been asked to comment.

Caerphilly Council said customers received 4% less fuel than they paid for from 18 of the service station's 36 fuel nozzles.

The short measures were caused by an "incorrect modification" to chip and pin readers.

Short measures

But the council said no accuracy checks or tests were carried out on the affected pumps by engineers who had carried out the modification work.