Bargain Lidl clock that only tells the time in Germany

IT sounds like a product dreamed up by TV comedy writers for Del Boy to punt down the Nag’s Head.

The self-adjusting wall-clock, the Only Fools and Horses rogue would be sure to tell customers, is among the most accurate in the world.

The part he would leave out is i t that it self- adjusts only to Frankfurt time.

But it was no fly-by-night independent trader which offloaded a

‘EU integration going too far’

consignment of the £8.99 clocks to unsuspecting Scots. I t was supermarket giant Lidl, founded in Germany.

Yesterday the store admitted it had issued a product recall for the Auriol wall clocks which, briefly, were a Christmas shopping favourite among many of its customers. It apologised for anyone inconvenienced by the oversight.

One of those was Stewart Logan, 77, of Bothwell, Lanarkshire, who bought one of the clocks but struggled to get it to adjust to UK time. That was because it relies on a radio time pulse transmitted from Frankfurt, which is an hour ahead of UK time.

Mr Logan said: ‘I couldn’t understand why it was always running one hour fast. I manually set it to the correct time but a couple of hours later it would be running one hour ahead. I realised it must be connected to European time and took it back to the shop.’

The sales leaflet promised the wall clock was one of the most ‘accurate in the world’. It said: ‘The DCF signal (time signal transmitter) consists of time pulses emitted by one of the most accurate clocks in the world close to Frankfurt/ Main, Germany – this varies by one second in a million years.

‘ Your radio- controlled clock receives these signals under ideal conditions up to a distance of approx. 1,500 km [932m miles] around Frankfurt.’

The clock blunder prompted a recall order across Scotland, England and Wales by Lidl bosses and also sparked comment on the internet as customers turned to social media and technology forums to highlight the error.

Bessie Burgess wrote on Twitter: ‘We bought a clock from Lidl. It keeps reprogramming to Central European Time, so it’s an hour ahead. European integration going too far.’

Michael Barr said: ‘Just bought a radio- controlled clock from Lidl. Unfortunately it is permanently one hour ahead as it receives its signal from Germany!’

Paula White tweeted: ‘Arrived at work an hour early today. Not many in. Only those who bought @LidlUK RC clocks.’

On the Digital Spy technology website users also criticised Lidl for the gaffe. One fumed: ‘They are not fit for purpose, unless you happen to live in Germany, of course.’

A Lidl spokesman said: ‘We have issued a product recall.’