Fake vodka seized in swoop on Staffordshire shops
Bottles of 'potentially hazardous' vodka have been seized in Staffordshire following a trading standards swoop.
Watchdogs from the county council's trading standards department confiscated six bottles of illicit vodka containing a chemical used in industrial solvents.
Off-licences in Cannock and Stafford are among those being investigated. The authority is now warning shoppers and businesses to contact them if they suspect alcohol is counterfeit.
The latest seizure is of a new type of vodka which contains t-Butanol, used in industrial solvents. If drunk, it can cause stomach problems, headaches, seizures and heart and respiration problems. The bottles have black labels with a red star and little other writing.
Councillor Mike Lawrence, the council's communities leader, said they had seen a big decrease in the sale of counterfeit alcohol over the past two years.
Since August 2011, more than 1,800 bottles of fake alcohol have been seized across Staffordshire.
Trading standards officers visited every independent off-licence in Staffordshire, and suspected counterfeit items were taken away from 73 stores out of more than 400.
These were tested in the council's own laboratories. Some 21 prosecutions across the county have been brought, with the largest fine handed out being £10,000.
Councillor Lawrence urged people to be vigilant. "Our continued efforts to combat the sale of counterfeit alcohol have been a huge success," he said.
"Offending businesses are now complying with the law. It means we are removing the risk of Staffordshire people being harmed.
"However, we know there will always be a potential problem and we are asking people to be vigilant, spot the signs of counterfeit alcohol products and inform us if they spot any on sale.
"Similarly we are asking all off-licence owners or managers only to buy products from a reliable source."
He said the tell-tale signs of counterfeit alcohol include unfamiliar or unheard of brands and suspect labelling which may not be aligned straight or have spelling mistakes.
Anyone who sees the bottles on sale anywhere in Staffordshire are being urged to call the county council's Fight the Fakes hotline on 01785 330356.
