Drinkers urged to demand pint top ups by watchdog

Pints and wines are short-measured most of the time, research has found, as drinkers have been urged to demand top-ups at the bar.

Around 70 per cent of orders are less than the prescribed quantity required by the Weights and Measures Order for pints, half pints and 175ml glasses of wine, the study by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) suggests.

Officers for the organisation visited 77 pubs and bars and were served 96 short measures out of 137 orders.

Of the short measures, 41 were under by five per cent or more. Some 86 per cent of all beer ordered was short-measured, as was 43 per cent of wine.

The average deficit for short-measured beer was four per cent, while for wine it was five per cent.

For the average beer drinker, this equated to a loss of £1.70 per week, or £88.40 a year, and for an average wine drinker in the UK this jumped to £2.20 per week or £114.40 per year, the CTSI said.

Top-up ‘is your right’

Nik Antona, the chairman of the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra), said consumers were “well within their rights” to ask for a top-up at the bar.

He said: “Consumers shouldn’t have to feel short-changed when they support their favourite pubs, social clubs and taprooms.

“The idea that 70 per cent of all beer bought at the bar is being short-measured in the UK is extremely concerning.

“For anything that is short-measured, and particularly anything more than five per cent short, you should ask the bar staff for an immediate top-up.

“You are well within your rights to do this, and the staff should comply and fulfil this request.

“If you get a negative reaction when you do this, you can get in contact with Trading Standards to report the incident.”

Trading Standards officers found the largest short measure was 15 per cent under, found on a 175ml glass of wine in Walsall, with the drink costing £3.20.

The next largest short measure was under by 13.4 per cent, found in Belfast on a glass of wine costing £7.20, while the third largest deficit was of 12 per cent and found on a 175ml glass of wine bought in Havering, east London, costing £5.75.

A poll by the CTSI found three times as many people aged under 45 supported bars and pubs being able to pour spirits without a spirit measure compared to those over 45.

The findings come at a time when the price of alcoholic drinks is at an all-time high.

The average price of a bottle of red wine has increased by eight per cent in the last year, while the average cost of a pint of lager is up 5.6 per cent, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Legally, the frothy head on a pint of beer is included in the measure.

Short-measuring ‘widespread’

The CTSI’s survey found 35 per cent of the public felt the head should not be included in the pint measure and 23 per cent thought it should.

John Herriman, the CTSI chief executive, said: “While this is a snapshot, it is the first time that we have been able to build a national picture of how widespread short-measuring of alcoholic drinks are, and the potential detriment to the average consumer of around £115 every year suggests there is the need for more comprehensive research to better understand the impact of short measures, not just for alcoholic drinks but across a broader spectrum of consumer goods.

“Weights and measures is a key role for local authority Trading Standards, but right now we simply don’t have the resources to allocate, and even the equipment to use, to undertake spot checks that ensure consumers are getting what they pay for.

“We are calling on the hospitality sector to ensure that consumers get value for money by making sure they are correctly measuring the drinks they are serving to customers in the nation’s pubs and bars and for further research in this area.”