A COUNCIL once condemned for prosecuting a landlady for serving a pint which was six teaspoons of beer short of a guideline minimum has pledged to use discretion over future Trading Standards prosecutions.

Pub industry leaders expressed disbelief in 2016 after North Yorkshire County Council unsuccessfully took the licensee of The Fleece, Northallerton, to court over “a splash of ale” served in a test purchase.

The authority’s executive heard a revised Trading Standards enforcement policy emphasised discretion would be used when deciding whether to investigate consumer complaints and other reports or findings of non-compliance. It states: “It is recognised that it is neither necessary nor possible for the purposes of the execution of our statutory duties to investigate all issues of non-compliance with the law.”

The authority’s executive member for trading standards, Councillor Andrew Lee, said the revised Trading Standards enforcement policy sought to clarify when it would prosecute offenders, set out changes to penalties and how it would seek to recover ill-gotten gains.

Councillor Gareth Dadd, the council’s deputy leader, added the authority recognised “over zealous enforcement officers” were not helpful for traders who inadvertently infringed rules.

He said: “Let’s not forget we have a higher proportion of small and medium size businesses than other areas of the country and the decent folk trying to earn a living. We recognise that for minor breaches of compliances guidance and support is given rather than slapping fines on them and disrupting business.”