Fashion retailer New Look has said it will review the way it prices clothing after being accused of charging more for plus-size items.
Shopper Maria Wassell accused the chain of levying a "fat tax" on women who are size 16 and above after she discovered a pair of plus-size green striped trousers were on sale for £22.99 – three pounds and 15% more than the £19.99 charged for standard sizes.
"It's like being discriminated against for being plus-size when I'm only slightly bigger than average," the 43-year old, from Ashford in Kent, told The Times. "The average size for a British woman is now a size 16."
In a statement to Sky, New Look said: "To ensure pricing differences like these don't happen in future, we are in the process of reviewing the pricing structure of our plus-size collection in a way which works best for our customers and our business.
"We are proud of the ranges we offer to our plus-size customers and value all customers, no matter what their body shape or size."
But Tam Fry, chairman of the National Obesity Forum, told the Times it was "entirely reasonable for dressmakers to charge more for larger sizes because they require more material".
"I think if a woman is paying more for her clothes because she is a size 18 or over that she will think seriously about staying in shape and that can only be a good thing," she said.
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