MILK in Hertfordshire shops has been given the all-clear by the county's trading standards department following a series of spot checks.

Three hundred samples of skimmed, semi-skimmed and whole milk from towns and villages in Hertfordshire were taken by trading standards inspectors to ensure the quality of milk.

The samples were tested for fat content to make sure that the milk had not been watered down to reduce production costs.

They were taken from randomly selected retail outlets, from large supermarkets to small village stores.

According to Hertfordshire County Council, the tests have shown the quality of Hertfordshire's milk is generally good. Just four per cent of the milk samples had a fat content which was slightly below the legal levels and all the skimmed milk samples were at the correct levels.