Legal requirements
Weights and Measures Act 1985
Section 18
Operators of public weighing equipment must hold a certificate of competence from a chief trading standards officer.
Section 20
Any person appointed to attend weighing equipment for use by the public must do the following or they risk committing an offence:
- carry out a weighing on demand unless they have reasonable cause not to do so
- carry out the weighing fairly
- give to the person requiring the weighing a written statement of the weight found
- make a record of the following:
- time
- date
- particulars to identify the vehicle
- identify the load on the vehicle
- not make a false record or give a false statement
- must not commit any fraud
Other legal requirements:
- if a person demanding a weighing is asked by a weighbridge operator for their name and address they must give their correct name and address
- the person making the weighbridge available for public use must retain for not less than 2 years any record of any weighing made on that weighbridge
- if requested by an inspector of weights and measures the owner of the weighbridge must produce any of the records of any weighing made on that weighbridge
- it is an offence to destroy or deface any record before the expiration of 2 years
Weighing Equipment (EEC Automatic Weighing Machines) Regulations 1988
Regulation 4(7)
No person may carry out a “double weighing” for trade purposes.