IRISH consumers are still paying far more than their northern counterparts for clothing and household items – despite a promised crackdown by the National Consumer Agency (NCA), a Sunday Tribune survey has found.

In some cases, there is a price gap on goods of up to €200. Labour's enterprise spokesman Willie Penrose has criticised the price discrepancies as "astounding and mind-boggling".

"There are factors, such as the cost of importing and other issues, but even when they are deducted there is still a gap. I would hope it is not profiteering," he said.

The NCA maintains that price differences either side of the border are narrowing for items such as groceries but this is clearly not the case when it comes to household goods and clothing.

A man's suit in House of Fraser in Dundrum by A39 Savile Row has a price tag of €788 placed directly above a sterling sticker of £525. This is a price difference of more than €200.

Popular women's boots, Uggs, cost €340 in the Dundrum store, but are £260 in the Northern Ireland branches, an overall difference of €60.

Also showing a huge discrepancy is another shoe for women – Carvela. These are priced at €370 in the south but only £250 in the north. The difference is €100.

But women's and men's clothing is not the only retail sector where there is substantial price differences. A survey of various different household appliances has produced similar results.

For an LG fridge freezer in Currys, an Irish shopper must pay €799.99, a price already slashed by €100 due to a sale on the item.

Even with the cut in price, the same fridge freezer costs only £549.99 across the border, showing an overall disparity of €205.

A Zanussi electric double oven is priced at €589.99 in the Republic, but is £449.99 in the north, a gap of €104.

Consumers who go to Specsavers not expecting a cross-border price gap will be disappointed too.

In the south there is a charge of €32 for testing and fitting of lenses, plus a charge of €35 for a month's supply. However Specsavers in Newry do not charge for the fitting of contacts and have a price tag of £22 on a month's supply.

"Our best advice to consumers is to investigate retailers offering similar services or goods to identify the best deal available to them," said Allison Mills, spokeswoman for the NCA.