Argos has been criticised for charging its customers in the Republic of Ireland on average 24% more for its products than shoppers in the UK.

In some cases prices were up 200% in Ireland, but Argos said it was “impossible” to make a direct comparison.

An Argos spokesperson said: “Prices charged for products in different countries are affected by a number of complex factors including transport costs, exchange rate fluctuations, staff pay, market conditions, taxes and the cost of producing separate catalogues for different markets.”

The survey, conducted by University College Dublin’s Centre for Web Technologies, found that 99 per cent of Argos’ products were more expensive in Ireland compared to Britain.

As part of this study, prices across the retailer’s Irish and British websites were analysed, according to the Irish Independent.