Weights and Measures Act 1985

4 Local standards. E+W+S

(1) There shall be maintained by each local weights and measures authority such standards (in this Act referred to as “local standards”) of such of the measures and weights set out in Schedule 3 to this Act as the Secretary of State may from time to time approve or require in the case of that authority as being proper and sufficient for the purposes of this Act.

(2) Local Standards—

(a) shall be provided and replaced by the local weights and measures authority from time to time as may appear to the authority to be necessary or expedient or as the Secretary of State may require,

(b) shall be of material and form approved by the Secretary of State,

(c) shall be kept in such manner and under such conditions as the Secretary of State may direct at premises provided by the authority, and

(d) shall not be used elsewhere than at those premises or at other premises which appear to the authority to be appropriate.

(3) A local standard of any linear or capacity measure—

(a) shall be provided either as a separate standard or by means of divisions marked on a standard of a larger measure, and

(b) shall either be marked in whole or in part with subdivisions representing any smaller unit of measurement or multiples or fractions of such a unit or have no such markings,

as the Secretary of State may from time to time direct.

(4) No article shall be used as a local standard unless there is for the time being in force a certificate of its fitness for the purpose issued by the Secretary of State.

(5) The Secretary of State shall cause any article submitted to him for certification under this section to be compared with such one or more of the tertiary standards as may appear to him to be appropriate and, if it falls within the prescribed limits of error and satisfies any other requirements of the Secretary of State, shall issue a certificate of its fitness for use as a local standard which, if the authority so request, shall include a statement of the amount of any error in it.

(6) Subject to paragraph 9 of Schedule 11 to this Act, a certificate issued under subsection (5) above shall cease to be in force at the end of the prescribed period.

(7) The Secretary of State shall keep a record of all certificates issued under subsection (5) above.

(8) Any comparison of an article with the tertiary standards in pursuance of subsection (5) above shall be carried out—

(a) if the article is not for the time being a local standard at such place as the Secretary of State may direct; or

(b) if the article is for the time being a local standard, at the premises where it is kept or at other premises approved in that behalf by the Secretary of State.

(9) The Secretary of State may charge on any occasion on which an article is submitted to him for certification under this section such fee as he may from time to time with the approval of the Treasury determine.