The Measuring Equipment (Liquid Fuel and Lubricants) Regulations 1988

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations replace the Measuring Equipment (Liquid Fuel and Lubricants) Regulations 1983 as amended. They apply to all measuring equipment, other than capacity measures and those used for the measurement of liquefied petroleum gas, for use for trade in the making of any measurement of liquid fuel or lubricants or any mixture of such fuel and lubricants in a quantity not exceeding 20 gallons or 100 litres. They make provision as to the principles of construction and marking of measuring equipment, inspection, testing, passing as fit for use for trade and stamping of such equipment (and obliteration of stamps on such equipment), and the prescribed limits of error. The Regulations prescribe this equipment for the purposes of section 11(1) of the Weights and Measures Act 1985 so that it is unlawful to use it for trade purposes unless it has been tested, passed as fit for such use and stamped by an inspector of weights and measures.

The Regulations make the following changes of substance—

(a) the definition of “grade” has been amended to refer to the revised British Standard Specification for leaded petrol and to include the Specification for unleaded petrol (regulation 1(2));

(b) provision has been included for an inspector to be supplied with other equipment necessary to enable him to carry out his functions (eg magnetic cards and padlock keys so that at unattended petrol stations he can return to the storage tanks fuel drawn for testing purposes) (regulation 14); and

(c) with one exception provisions concerned with the conversion of equipment from halfpenny rounding to penny rounding in the price to pay as a result of the demonetisation of the halfpenny have been omitted, as this process has been completed; the exception prevents such equipment being passed as fit for use for trade in the future (regulation 18(2)).

Copies of British Standards (see regulation 1(2)) can be obtained from any of the sales outlets operated by the British Standards Institution (BSI) or by post from the BSI at Linford Wood, Milton Keynes, MK14 6LE.