Around a fifth of so-called locally produced foods in England and Wales are misleading their customers, an investigation has found.

Inspectors from Local Government Regulation (LGR) surveyed 558 products from markets, restaurants, markets and factories to find that many are potentially making false claims.

"Councils are working with businesses to make sure consumers have the information they need and that they are not being ripped off," commented LGR chairman councillor Paul Bettison.

He emphasised that consumers are keen to buy produce that has not travelled the length of the UK, but in order to do so they need to be provided with the right information to do so.

The investigation found that some examples included West Country fish fillets that were caught in the region, but then sent to China for filleting.

It was recently suggested by the Daily Telegraph that shoppers should be aware of some of the tactics used by supermarkets to get them to part with more cash than they intended.