Inspections find short measured drinks in 10 pubs

Over half of the drinks purchased in 10 pubs were short measures, a council's trading standards team has found.

Officers from Oxfordshire County Council posed as members of the public at a number of venues across the county in February and March.

The inspections aimed to ensure pubs were complying with laws on serving alcoholic beverages.

The team found that of the drinks ordered, 12 of 16 glasses of wine, no pints of beer, and one of two shots of whisky were less than the legally required amounts.

The Weights and Measures (Intoxicating Liquor) Order 1988 mandates that establishments selling alcoholic beverages must serve them in specified measurements.

These include half pint and pint for beer, 125ml, 175ml, or 250ml for wine, and 25ml for spirits.

The council said the average cost of a 175ml glass of wine purchased had been £7.05, and 2.2% short of a full glass, resulting in a potential loss to the consumer of up to 15p.

It added that one glass of wine purchased had been under by 13ml, meaning a potential loss of as much as 52p to the customer.

Jody Kerman, head of trading standards, said the inspection "showed that customers could be losing out if it's not served correctly".

"Ensuring that every pint of beer and glass of wine served in Oxfordshire pubs meets the required standards is crucial for maintaining customer trust and satisfaction," he said.

"Our trading standards team is committed to making sure residents get exactly what they pay for."

The council said businesses that had served short measures had been provided with guidance, and new measuring equipment had been obtained where necessary.

You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.