A WORCESTERSHIRE petrol station accidentally giving away free fuel has been uncovered in a sting by trading standards officers.

With petrol prices soaring, Worcestershire County Council's trading standards team headed out to the county's forecourts recently to make sure garage owners were not giving short measures to motorists.

But having tested pumps at 50 garages across the county, the officers found that many were in fact giving away far more petrol than they intended.

In one instance, a fuel pump had been dispensing petrol at a rate of nine per cent over-measure, while in another case, crafty car-owners could actually get their fuel for free.

The officers found that at this particular filling station, it was possible to fill a tank of petrol before the pumps had reset to zero, meaning customers could get away without paying a penny.

The council says all faulty equipment has now been rectified, and refused to name the location of the garages.

Trading standards officer Dave Shaw said: "This is a good result for garages in Worcestershire. Accurate and reliable measurement is a fundamental requirement for both consumers and traders. Ensuring everyone has a fair measure is vital for consumer protection and ensuring businesses can compete fairly."

In total, 18 of the 739 pumps tested across Worcestershire were recorded as being incorrect - around 2.5 per cent. Of those 18, six were actually breaking the law.

However, out of these six illegal pumps, the council officials found that four were giving over-measure, while just two were illegally ripping off their customers.