Customs and Excise Management Act 1979

169 False scales, etc.

(1) If any person required by or under the customs and excise Acts to provide scales for any purpose of those Acts provides, uses or permits to be used any scales which are false or unjust he shall be guilty of an offence under this section.

(2) Where any article is or is to be weighed, counted, gauged or measured for the purposes of the taking of an account or the making of an examination by an officer, then if—

(a) any such person as is mentioned in subsection (1) above ; or

(b) any person by whom or on whose behalf the article is weighed, counted, gauged or measured,

does anything whereby the officer is or might be prevented from, or hindered or deceived in, taking a true and just account or making a due examination, he shall be guilty of an offence under this section.

This subsection applies whether the thing is done before, during or after the weighing, counting, gauging or measuring of the article in question.

(3) Any person committing an offence under this section shall be liable on summary conviction to a penalty of £200 and any false or unjust scales, and any article in connection with which the offence was committed, shall be liable to forfeiture.

(4) In this section " scales" includes weights, measures and weighing or measuring machines or instruments.