Residents facing crippling fuel bills to heat their homes and provide them with hot water can have confidence that they are getting the correct measurements of fuel that they have paid for as East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s Trading Standards Service launches its new fuel initiative.
Over the past year the cost of nearly all forms of energy having risen by an average of 15 per cent and in a largely rural area like the East Riding this can put a strain on both fuel providers and consumers.
In response to this concern, East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s Trading Standards Service is to undertake a summer initiative aimed at ensuring that when people purchase certain types of energy they receive the correct quantity of fuel as well as being charged the correct price.
The initiative will involve a series of visits to independent garages selling petrol and diesel and bulk fuel sellers, who distribute heating oil and packers of gas bottles of propane and butane used for heating.
During the visits all measuring equipment used for dispensing the various types of fuel, such as petrol pumps, tanker meters and weighing scales will be tested by trading standards to ensure that they dispense the correct quantity of fuel as well as calculating the correct price to be paid.
In addition, roadside checks will be carried out on vehicles carrying fuel products such as coal and bulk liquid fuel. These checks will ensure that sacks of solid fuel contain the correct required weight and meters on tankers have not been tampered with.
Many of the checks will be carried out in rural areas where people are reliant on private cars and are forced to use relatively expensive heating oil, solid fuel or bottled gas to heat their homes.
These checks will ensure that fuel providers and their customers are on a level playing field and that measurement equipment will be accurate.
Genuine fuel providers will have nothing to worry about with regards to these checks and residents don’t have to worry about paying more than they should.
Colin Briggs, services manager at East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s Trading Standards, said: “This initiative is designed to ensure that both the sellers and consumers of fuel can rely on the measuring equipment they use. Consumers will receive the quantity they have paid for and traders are reassured that they are not delivering more fuel than was ordered which would seriously affect the profitability of their business.”
Councillor Jane Evison, portfolio holder for public protection, said: “Everyone has noticed the sharply increasing price of energy in the past year. Many living in rural areas have no choice but to consume relatively large amount of energy and so have been badly affected by these price rises. This initiative by Trading Standards will ensure that the market for various fuels can be relied on as being fair for both sellers and consumers alike.”
Picture: Local Sam Farrow fills his car at Mill Lane Service Station, Beverley
