An investigation by Trading Standards officers in Scotland has found that short weight solid fuel products may be contributing to fuel poverty and the cost of living crisis, the Society of Chief Officers of Trading Standards in Scotland (SCOTSS) announced on 7 April 20251.
Officers carried out weight checks on packs of coal, wood and other solid fuel products at 130 retail outlets, with short weight products identified during 43 of those visits. A total of 70 different product lines were checked, and 28 of them, or 40%, were found to contain short weight packs. Within those product lines, 2,164 individual packs were checked and 317, or 15%, were found to be short weight1.
Deficiencies ran as high as 3.52kg on a 14kg pack of logs, leading to detriment of as much as £3.77 per pack. Twelve packers were found to have placed non-compliant products on the market, each one constituting a potential offence by the packer as well as causing financial harm to consumers. Forty per cent of all failed packs came from the same source and had been imported into the UK. At one retailer, deficiencies of kiln dried birch logs were as much as 20%, a loss to consumers of £1 per pack; if the same level of deficiency were replicated across that retailer's annual sales of the product line, the total collective detriment could be as high as £4.1m per year1.
SCOTSS defines short weight in this context as packages less than twice the allowed error deficient of the marked pack weight. The average system allows packers of goods in predetermined constant quantities to account for variation caused by their equipment, provided packs are on average not less than the nominal quantity marked and any deficient pack is light only by a specified amount1.
Alexandra Connell, Chair of SCOTSS, said:
"Measurement is at the heart of fair trade in goods and is a core issue for Trading Standards teams across Scotland, making sure that consumers get what they pay for and that businesses are weighing and measuring goods accurately. With the current cost of living crisis it is even more important that the processes and systems that should be in place are working properly and consumers get what they pay for."
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Retail outlets visited | 130 |
| Visits where short weight products were identified | 43 |
| Product lines checked | 70 |
| Product lines containing short weight packs | 28 (40%) |
| Individual packs checked | 2,164 |
| Packs found short weight | 317 (15%) |
| Largest deficiency recorded | 3.52kg on a 14kg pack of logs |
| Detriment per pack, worst case | £3.77 |
| Packers placing non-compliant products on the market | 12 |
Why it matters for households
Solid fuel remains a primary heating source for homes off the gas grid, and a pack that is light by up to a fifth delivers less heat than the buyer paid for. The detriment figures are stated per pack, so the loss accumulates across a winter's purchases. The finding that 40% of failed packs came from a single imported source points to a supply chain issue rather than isolated packing errors, which matters for households whose energy independence depends on bought-in fuel rather than a mains supply. The rules governing how packaged goods are weighed and marked sit within the wider product standards and markings framework, and enforcement is handled by local authority Trading Standards services under powers that differ across the UK's devolved and reserved energy powers.
What happens next
In all instances where deficiencies were found, follow-up visits were made by local authority officers to the companies involved to seek to rectify any issues with packing procedures1. No further dates, prosecutions or enforcement outcomes have been reported.
Sources1 cited
- [](https://www.tradingstandards.uk/news-policy-campaigns/news-room/2025/local-authority-trading-standards-in-scotland-find-short-weight-solid-fuel-packs-that-may-contribute-to-fuel-poverty/), tradingstandards.uk