Legal metrology enforcement in Great Britain, 2025–2026: 48,616 inspections of measuring instruments, 29% fewer than a year earlier, and 740 inspectors
On 24 September 2026 the UK Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) published the report on the activity of Local Weights and Measures Authorities in Great Britain — England, Scotland and Wales — for 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026. All 188 requested returns were received; 48,616 inspections were carried out, compared with 68,904 a year earlier.
- Inspections covered automatic and non-automatic weighing instruments, liquid fuel measuring instruments, liquid fuel tanker meter measuring systems and intoxicating liquor measuring instruments. The largest change concerned the latter: from 50,990 to 31,125 inspections; inspections of non-automatic weighing instruments from 30 kg to 5 t rose from 1,840 to 3,051, while those under 30 kg fell from 6,375 to 5,154.
- Weighbridges and both classes of non-automatic weighing instruments (30 kg to 5 t and under 30 kg) had the highest rates of verification mark removal. There were 21 inspections resulting in prosecutions or cautions: 4 for liquid fuel measuring instruments, 14 for weighing instruments under 30 kg and 3 for those from 30 kg to 5 t.
- In checks of metrological compliance in transactions, the share of businesses compliant at first inspection rose from 63% to 68%, and total compliance — including those assisted into compliance — from 82% to 85%. Retail outlets accounted for 84% of businesses visited; medical institutions had the lowest compliance (65%), although with few inspections the figure should be read with caution.
- The number of local weights and measures inspectors fell to 740 — 3% fewer than a year earlier and 17% fewer than in 2017–2018; 80% of local authorities named staffing as a strategic concern. The report is designated as Official Statistics, and the methodology and quality report, updated in September 2026, describes how data are collected from local authorities and quality-assured.
Source: OPSS — Section 70 Weights and Measures report 2025 to 2026 (24.09.2026)