An eagle-eyed motorist was refunded 10p at a petrol station after noticing a discrepancy between the pump price and the cost on the sign outside.

Robert Shaw, 57, from Kirkheaton, says he called at Bradley Service Station, just yards from the White Cross Inn, Bradley Road, Huddersfield, on Wednesday evening intending to fill up his Nissan with diesel prior to driving to Bradford.

But as he reached the forecourt he noticed the roadside display saying the price was 127.9 per litre while the pump price was 128.9.

Mr Shaw, a retired publican, said: “I go in there quite a lot to get diesel and had intended filling up but when I noticed the difference I decided to only put £10 in. I made a bit of a fuss about it and was eventually refunded the difference.

“I was concerned that other motorists would also be paying more than the advertised price as there were a few other customers buying diesel at the time.

“It might only be 1p a litre but it all adds up when there’s a lot of customers. Later I reported it to the Citizens’ Advice Bureau too which handles these matters for Trading Standards.”

Terri Webster, manager at the station, said: “As soon as I was made aware of the problem by staff I came down, restarted the system and sorted it out immediately.

“The customer was entitled to an eight pence refund but we gave him 10p. I don’t know how the error happened.”

A West Yorkshire Trading Standards spokesman said it was an offence to mislead a consumer over price whether by undercharging or overcharging.

He said: “West Yorkshire Trading Standards warn petrol stations to be vigilant with regard to their prices.

“They are required to display unit prices per litre for the fuel at the pump and if they choose to have a roadside display that price must thoroughly reflect the price charged at the pump.”

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