New Year"s Eve partygoers told to beware of fake booze

New Year’s Eve partygoers are being urged to avoid cheap fake booze containing potentially lethal ingredients found in antifreeze.

The warning in the run-up to the UK’s biggest drinking night of the year comes from the Local Government Association (LGA), which represents more than 370 councils in England and Wales. It follows recent council seizures of counterfeit vodka laced with highly dangerous chemicals found in cleaning products and paint solvent.

After a series of raids on suspect premises leading up to New Year’s Eve, council trading standards teams are also warning sellers of illegal alcohol that they face confiscation of their stock, prosecution and being stripped of any relevant licences.

As people stock up on alcohol at home and attend major celebrations in towns and city centres, councils are issuing safety advice to help people avoid harm from dangerous alcohol containing lethal chemicals such as chloroform – which can induce comas – and high levels of methanol which is a key ingredient in antifreeze. Drinking the bogus booze can lead to vomiting, permanent blindness, and kidney or liver problems, and can be fatal in extreme cases.

The LGA is urging shoppers to look out for telltale signs of fake booze. These include unfamiliar names or names mimicking recognised brands, crooked labels, spelling mistakes, and very low prices that seem “too good to be true”. Drinkers being served vodka in pubs and clubs should also smell the drinks as fake vodka will often smell of nail varnish.

“New Year’s Eve is the biggest drinking night of the year but people need to avoid suspiciously cheap, fake alcohol at all costs because it could seriously harm your health, and even kill you,” said Simon Blackburn, a councillor and chair of the LGA’s Safer and Stronger Communities Board.

“Counterfeit alcohol also harms legitimate traders and threatens livelihoods, with the black market trade helping to fund organised criminal gangs. Council trading standards teams have been cracking down on businesses selling fake alcohol and rogue sellers should think twice about stocking these dangerous drinks as we will always seek to prosecute irresponsible traders.”

In a prosecution brought by Halton borough council, a taxi driver had his vehicle seized and was given a suspended sentence after counterfeit vodka was found in his taxi. Twenty-six litres of fake vodka – found to be unfit for human consumption – and 108 bottles of illicit wine were seized following a search of a storage unit.

Separately, Lincolnshire county council’s trading standards officers helped seize 3,570 litres of beers, wines and spirits – most believed to be counterfeit – from 20 premises as part of an operation with police and HMRC.

Drinking industrial-strength isopropanol – which is more commonly found in antifreeze, lotions and cosmetics – can lead to dizziness, vomiting, anaesthesia and even blindness, and can leave someone in a coma. Other substances found in fake bottles of spirits include ethyl acetate, which is normally found in glues, nail polish removers and cigarettes, and can lead to organ damage.

New Year"s Eve partygoers told to beware of fake booze