A LONG-SERVING newsagent is on a mission to support residents across the town by urging the governing bodies to crackdown on shops who are charging its customers to pay by card.

Gordon Bird, who runs Mellor’s News on Barnsley Road, Cudworth, has been selling newspapers for the best part of half a century.

He is a cornerstone of the community but told the Chronicle a number of customers have been coming into his shop telling stories of other shop keepers across the town charging up to £2 to use their cards, rather than pay cash.

This has been illegal since 2018 though it’s thought it is still common practice.

Gordon told the Chronicle: “It’s just a massive scam.

“People have been telling me that they’ve been going to put money on their gas and electric cards and they’re being charged an extra £1.

“The banks don’t charge that much.

“In 2018 this was stopped.

“But I know a lot are still doing it - they either don’t know that it’s now illegal or they just don’t care.”

The government announced the ban on ‘hidden charges’ back in 2018 in a bid to stop customers receiving ‘rip-off fees’.

So-called ‘surcharging’ has become commonplace, particularly online, with many retailers hitting people with surprise charges just before they are about to make a purchase.

The rules are being enforced by Trading Standards who have the power to take civil enforcement action against traders who breach the regulations.

It will also entitle customers to receive a refund of any unlawful surcharge they have paid and enable them, if necessary, to take legal action to recover any such surcharge.

And Gordon says that it’s ‘appalling’ these incidents are still happening in Barnsley.

“It won’t just be in Cudworth, it’ll be the whole of Barnsley and the whole of the country,” he said.

“Some people might think it’s trivial.

“But it all adds up.

“So many people are being scammed.

“I want people to know that what these people are doing is illegal.

“They can have ‘minimum spends’ but you aren’t allowed to just add extra money just because they’re using a bank card.

“It’s appalling and needs to be stopped.”

Guy Anker, a finance journalist, said: “Scrapping card surcharges is good news, especially for the millions of consumers who would otherwise have been milked by companies who whack on unexpected charges at the end of the process - something that has been happening for years.

"With the cost of living rising anyway, people shouldn’t be hit with unexpected fees.

“While it will make it easier for consumers to compare prices, we expect some companies will raise prices for all to compensate for the loss, which could hit those who currently pay in cash or debit card."