Nearly 2000 bottles of counterfeit vodka have been inspected during a far-reaching partnership operation to protect the public.
Merthyr Tydfil and Rhondda Cynon Taf Councils recently joined forces to obtain Making the Connections funding to deal with alcohol-related crime and disorder.
The grant received has allowed the authorities to put in place a far-reaching plan of action to deal with such issues, including the extension of taxi marshalling schemes to allow a safer night out, training for shop and pub staff to prevent underage alcohol sales and more.
One of the key elements of the work was the removal from sale of counterfeit alcohol that can be dangerous to the health of those who consume it – and damage the trade of legal businesses.
As such, Trading Standards officers from both authorities used an allocation of the funding to launch an operation in off-licences across both county boroughs, using the skills of an expert who could examine the drink on the spot to identify discrepancies.
Over the course of a week officers from both authorities visited 61 premises in RCT and 15 in Merthyr. Seventy two of these premises showed no problems with alcohol on sale, which is a credit to the hard work of the management and staff in them.
However, there were interesting results in the remaining four premises:
Shop 1 Merthyr – Eleven counterfeit bottles of Vodka were seized, as well as another two that were bearing no HM Revenue and Customs stamps. As the owner of this shop had links to premises in Blaenau Gwent, Trading Standards officers in that authority were notified and carried out their own local investigations, resulting in further seizures of counterfeit vodka.
Shop 2 Merthyr –Two bottles of vodka that were produced for export outside the UK (but were illegally diverted back into the market) were taken It was clear on these bottles that the HM Revenue and Customs duty stamps had been damaged.
Shop 3 RCT– Six bottles of vodka were found bearing apparently counterfeit HMRC duty stamps and were then taken
Shop 4 RCT– 23 bottles of vodka were found bearing apparently counterfeit HMRC duty stamps and were then taken
Enquiries into all of these incidents are ongoing.
Cllr John David, Cabinet Member with responsibility for Trading Standards, said: “We were pleased to secure the Making the Connections funding that allowed us to carry out this important work.
“Alcohol-related crime and disorder is not just about underage drinking or drunken fights, but also about ensuring the products offered for sale are safe and legitimate. This partnership operation shows the significant majority of shopkeepers are working within the law, but there are still issues that we must deal with.”
Steve Peters Head of Trading Standards at Merthyr Tydfil Council said: “Counterfeit alcohol and its sale is a serious problem. It is illegal and can also present health risks. We do not want premises that operate outside of the law to profit at the expense of those who work hard with us to be legal and responsible.”
