Sobering swoop reveals festive drinkers being sold short

Popular licensed premises caught serving short measures of alcohol

Dozens of licensed premises in West London are serving festive drinkers short measures of alcohol, it emerged this week.

A swoop by local trading standards revealed that residents are being short changed in the run up to Christmas with half the measures served.

The probe uncovered the fact that Christmas revellers stand a 65% chance of being ripped off at the bar during the holiday season. Hammersmith & Fulham, one of the councils involved in the swoop, is now consulting lawyers before taking legal action against the licensees involved.

Councillor Nicholas Botterill sad “It’s a sobering thought that less than four out of ten shorts served are the correct measure. It’s just not good enough and our trading standards officers will do everything they can to clampdown on these rogue bar managers.”

Undercover officers swooped on 46 pubs and bars with dozens found to be ripping customers off. In the worst cases, Christmas tipples were more than 20% short.

The pan London group of authorities involved in the project made more than 100 test purchases with 42% of drinks up to 5% short; 13% between 5 and 10% short and 1 in 10 at least 10% short. Fewer than four in ten drinks contained the correct measure.

Councillor Botterill concluded, “A lot of bar staff lack proper training and if they are rushing to serve a crowded bar on a Friday evening, the emphasis is usually on speed rather than accuracy.”

The test purchasing took in popular bars and pubs across a number of boroughs including Hammersmith & Fulham and Ealing.

The venues that came up short now face a formal caution and potential prosecution. 

It is a criminal offence under Section 28 of the Weights and Measures Act 1985 to sell a good with a lesser measure than that purported to be sold.

December 22, 2006