Fake vodka is risk to vision

A local council has issued a pre-Christmas warning after two separate incidents of illegal vodka being sold with levels of methanol high enough to cause blindness.

Surrey County Council said a shopkeeper in Ashford was fined £16,000 after he was found to have been selling counterfeit bottles of Glen's Vodka. Laboratory tests showed the fake spirit contained 235 times the legal level of methanol.

Investigations found the store had purchased the counterfeit vodka from a man selling it from the back of a van in 35cl and 75cl bottles. Surrey County Council said just 100cl of the drink could cause blindness.

The case follows a prior warning over the sale of 'Drop Vodka', found in outlets around the UK, which contained a number of dangerous chemicals.