| Abstract: |
New Year's Eve revellers have been warned to avoid cheap, fake alcohol that could contain potentially lethal ingredients. The Local Government Association (LGA) warning follows recent council seizures of counterfeit vodka laced with chemicals found in cleaning products - which could lead to vomiting, permanent blindness, and in extreme cases, death. Telltale signs of fake bottles included unfamiliar brand names, crooked labels, spelling mistakes and very low prices which are "too good to be true". The alert comes after Halton Borough Council in Cheshire prosecuted a taxi driver who was found to have 26 litres of fake vodka unfit for human consumption and 108 bottles of illicit wine in his vehicle and in a storage unit. Cheshire East Council's trading standards team also seized 800 bottles of suspected fake vodka in Crewe, and Staffordshire County Council's team seized bottles of fake Glen's Vodka from an off-licence in Burton. |
