Consumer watchdog inspectors have carried out a string of unannounced raids on petrol stations and shops over “mis-pricing”.

Some filling stations have been accused of charging more for petrol than they had advertised on their price boards.

The 55 inspections, carried out by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC), targeted dozens of retail businesses around the country earlier this month.

The raids included clothing, beauty, furniture, grocery and hospitality businesses.

Labour Party enterprise spokesman George Lawlor said last night that any such “mis-pricing” is a “betrayal of customers” and called on the CCPC to “send a signal” that these practices will not be tolerated with the strongest level of fines.

“This is an awful betrayal of customers particularly at a time when we have a cost-of-living crisis – to have individual petrol stations falsely displaying prices and charging higher is something that really must be tackled by CCPC and the severest fines possible imposed.

“It must be tackled and ended so the practice is discouraged in the strongest possible way,” Deputy Lawlor said.

The 55 inspections by the CCPC included 22 in Dublin – in Swords, Dundrum and Tallaght; one in Leixlip, Co. Kildare; and eight in Tullamore, Co. Offaly.

A further 12 were carried out across Donegal including in Letterkenny, Bundoran and Donegal town, and there were another 12 in Co. Sligo.

The CCPC’s last annual report, released last July, found that misleading pricing had surged amid cost-of-living pressures.

In 2022, the CCPC was given tough new powers to crack down on false pricing, where the retailer advertises one price but charges another.

Those new powers included surveillance against suspected offenders.

Lifestyle Sports (Ireland), DID Electrical Appliances and Rathwood Home & Garden World pleaded guilty in March to breaking sales pricing legislation and were ordered to donate €1,000 each to Little Flower Penny Dinners for the homeless.

In May, pharmacy chain Boots pleaded guilty to wrongful claims of Black Friday bargains and was also ordered to pay €1,000 to the same homelessness charity.

However, the CCPC wants more powers to impose large fines for serious offences – such as penalties that are a percentage of a business’s turnover.

CCPC member Patrick Kenny said: “We carry out unannounced inspections and if we find traders breaking the law, we can issue fines and take prosecutions.

“Consumers need to see prices up front in order to make informed choices.

“If our enforcement officers find breaches of consumer protection law, we will act.”

A CCPC spokesman said: “These inspections form part of the CCPC’s ongoing work to monitor compliance with consumer protection laws and ensure fair trading practices across Ireland.

“The law sets out how traders must display prices and covers the selling price, unit price and reduced prices.

“CCPC officers identified several breaches of consumer protection law, including inadequate or inaccurate price displays on items for sale.”

David Blevings, spokesman for the Irish Petrol Retailers Association, which represents independent garages, said it “welcomes any investigation by the CCPC as our members are fully aware of the requirements of the Fuel Price Comparison legislation”.

“We send out the price information to all our members quarterly, ahead of the required date for implementation,” he added.

“We would encourage consumers to check if their local station is a member of the Irish Petrol Retailers Association when purchasing fuel.”

A spokesman for the Fuels For Ireland body, which represents the larger service station chains, did not comment.

Earlier this month, Niamh Smyth, Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, told the Dáil that the CCPC would be given enhanced powers to protect consumers.

Ms Smyth said she was “progressing legislative reforms” that would give the CCPC “the ability to impose stronger sanctions for breaches of consumer protection law”.

The Fianna Fáil TD also said that the CCPC has actively used its existing powers for enforcement where necessary and that in 2024 and 2025 it “successfully prosecuted several retailers for breaches of price indication and sale pricing regulations”.

“In these cases, the courts ordered the offending retailers to pay legal costs and make charitable donations as part of the settlement,” she said.

People who suspect a trader has breached consumer law are encouraged to call the CCPC by phoning the National Consumer Helpline on 01 402 5555 or emailing ask@ccpc.ie.

For serious breaches the CCPC can impose fines of up to €5,000.