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They'll also be checking that the pumps really are dispensing the amount they say they are.

Motorists spend hundreds of pounds each year on fuel and with the price of petrol nearing 拢1.50 per litre, trading standards say they want to be sure听 that customers have confidence in the measure they are getting.

The North East London Metrology Partnership, based in Havering is responsible for the inspection of all petrol pumps across the five boroughs of Barking and Dagenham, Havering, Redbridge, Waltham Forest and Newham.

They'll also also look into any complaints of alleged short measure across the four boroughs.

Here are some of the most common reasons people think they've been short changed at the pumps- and what they can do:

The petrol gauge on the car hasn't moved as much as you expected
Car petrol gauges are notoriously unreliable when compared against petrol pumps. They are affected by being on a slope. The accuracy varies over the range of the gauge and may under/over read at the top or bottom of its range.

"The car's capacity is only X litres"
The manufacturers stated capacity is not an accurate measure of the petrol tank. It is always possible to get more fuel into the tank especially if you put fuel in to the top of the filler pipe.

"I could hear air coming out of the petrol pump"
The petrol pump is designed with an air separator, which removes any air trapped in the fuel. Air, when present in the fuel, should vent from the petrol pump while allowing accurate measuring of the fuel dispensed. This should only be a problem when the underground storage tank is actually running out of fuel - when there is a majority of air being pumped and very little fuel. The petrol pump should stop working when no fuel is present.

The headwork did not show a zero reading before dispensing fuel".
All petrol pumps are designed to have a zero reading before allowing fuel to be pumped. This zero reading may only be fleeting if you are already pressing the trigger when the pump is being authorised. Always check there is a zero reading before pulling the trigger.