Are Tesco toilet rolls getting smaller?

Tesco has been accused of quietly reducing the size of its toilet rolls - by increasing the size of the hole in the middle.

Claims have been made that rolls are getting smaller following Brexit. Picture; stock image

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Keen-eyed shoppers reckon the cardboard tube in the centre has expanded by 1cm while the overall width has remained the same.

The revelation comes after a number of brands and supermarkets have reduced the size of products or raised prices to offset the effects of Brexit.

Tesco insists there has been no change to the nine-pack of Luxury Soft Toilet Tissue and the price has remained the same at £3.35.

But shoppers reckon they have got a bum deal and have taken to Facebook to voice their anger.

Mum-of-two Sadie Parker, 27, said: “I was topping up the shelf in my toilet when I noticed that the holes in this week’s toilet rolls were so much bigger.

“My husband put one of last week’s rolls on top of this week’s and you can see that the new one has a hole that is about a centimetre bigger than the older one.

“My husband and I were trying to feel the toilet rolls to see how compact they were and they didn’t feel any different.”

In a random test conducted on Monday January 23, the ‘old’ version featured 224 sheets but the ‘new’ ones with a larger hole had 208, 210, and 220 respectively.

A fall from 224 to 208 represents a seven per cent reduction in product.

Another customer, Gerard Henderson, wrote: “You could drive a bus through the cardboard tube in the middle of the white ones.

“They weigh less too. Looks like you are ripping us off, Tesco.”

A Tesco spokesperson commented on Mrs Parker’s post: “I have had a little look into this, and there has been no changes to this product since 2014.

“I am afraid this may be due to how it was packaged, or it could be deceptively wrapped.

“This product would be sold by its weight so you would still be getting the same amount of toilet paper as always.”

A Tesco spokesperson said: “We’d like to reassure customers our toilet rolls still provide the same quality, the same number of sheets, and the same great value as before.

“The only difference between the two rolls is a slight difference in the diameter of the cardboard tube.”