Tesco has launched a trial of new giant anti-theft trolley scales, in a move that has been likened to “border control” by some shoppers.

The technology is being piloted at the supermarket’s superstore in Gateshead, and is designed to weigh trolleys before checkout for Scan as you Shop customers.

It is understood the scales will weigh trollies and baskets and identify if shoppers might have unscanned or overscanned items from their Scan as you Shop journey.

The trial aims to help alert customers to any items they have missed or scanned incorrectly, reduce the number of manual service checks done by colleagues, reduce queuing times and streamline the checkout experience for shoppers.

However, some shoppers have already criticised the initiative, with some likening it to airport security or border control.

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A customer took to social media platform Reddit to ask, “Am I border control or Tesco?” while another joked, “No Clubcard? Deported”, and “Do I need my passport?”.

Some pointed out tech issues with existing self-serve technology, saying: “I can’t even trust the self-checkout to weigh a packet of paracetamol; how do they expect this to work?”

Others complained about being “treated like a thief”, with one comment reading: “If they have such a lack of trust with the general public, eliminate self checkout and bring back cashiers”.

The new trial follows the supermarket giant’s implementation of various in-store security features in a bid to tackle a rise in shoplifting and other retail crime.

Last month, Tesco launched a new 24-hour, 365 day manned security hub in Daventry, Northamptonshire, with an aim to track down criminals targeting its stores.

Last year, Morrisons deployed portable ‘RoboCop’ style security cameras along its alcohol aisle in a trial that sparked backlash among some shoppers, who claimed the new devices left them feeling “like a criminal”.

In November, the crime and policing minister unveiled the government’s much awaited plan to reverse the current £200 threshold for prosecution in its shoplifting charter, to better tackle the rise in retail crime.