Counterfeit alcohol 'not intended for human consumption' seized in Walsall

Walsall council’s Trading Standards team launched an investigation following reports from a resident that the drink ‘Krackoff’, purchased at a local store, tasted ‘strange’.

The vodka was taken for examination resulting in a further 12 bottles being seized from the store by the team.

On analysis, the vodka, was found to contain an industrial alcohol which, while it would not cause serious harm, is not intended for human consumption.

Following this alert, Trading Standards Officers conducted a series of visits to other off-licences in the borough to examine stocks of spirits and wines to check that they are authentic.

Four further bottles of the counterfeit vodka were found as well as a total of 80 bottles of counterfeit ‘Yellow Tail’ wine on sale in 10 different stores.

The wine was found to be understrength and in some cases less than the stated size, but was not harmful to consume.

Councillor Garry Perry, deputy leader for resilient communities, said: “Our Trading Standards team have done an excellent investigation resulting in the removal of counterfeit alcohol on sale in stores in the borough.

"Thank you to the resident that bought this to our attention so that the appropriate action can be taken to get this off the shelves."

"I encourage all residents to be vigilant and look out for signs that a product may not be what it seems, sometimes counterfeit items can be made to look so genuine it can be hard to spot.

"There are however some tell-tale signs that you can look out for.

"Make sure that you report any concerns to our Trading Standards team so that we can crackdown on these products being made available on the market."

The stores found selling the counterfeits have been given warnings over future sales and will receive additional visits to ensure that they continue to trade legally.

During the raids other offences were uncovered, including the sale of out-of-date foods and illegal disposable vapes.

Some tell-tale signs to look out for when considering counterfeit goods are spelling mistakes or poor grammar on labels, off-centre or peeling labels and poor quality printing.

Sediment or discoloured liquid in the bottle and heavily discounted prices are also important to consider.

Anyone who suspects they have found counterfeit goods on sale is asked to contact Trading Standards by calling 0808 223 1133 or emailing tradingstandards@walsall.gov.uk