Manchester licensees accused of ripping off customers

Licensees in Manchester have been accused of ripping off customers after two pubs were caught substituting cheaper spirits for more expensive brands.

Trading standards officers have been using special sampling kits as part of a crackdown on licensees in the area and have uncovered the scam at two Salford pubs.

The officers warned these cases could indicate a massive racket across greater Manchester and the UK.

In both cases, pubs were found to be substituting cheaper brands for Smirnoff Vodka and Gordons Gin. Officers used special testing kits issued by the International Federation of Spirit Producers to test drinks at the bar.

Paul Roberts, a cellarman at the Ship Hotel in Liverpool Road, Irlam, pleaded guilty to substituting another brand for Smirnoff Vodka at Salford Magistrates Court. He was fined £50 and ordered to pay £100 costs.

Tracy Lynn Devine, of the Spinners Arms in Liverpool Road, Patricroft, Eccles, admitted substituting another brand for Smirnoff Vodka at the same court and was fined £70 with £50 costs.

Licensee Francis Devine had wrongly-labelled vodka in his possession at the time. He also pleaded guilty and was fined £340 with £50 costs.

Salford trading standards officer Paula Flynn said: "It is not as if this could have occurred by mistake. A conscious decision had been made to substitute cheaper alcohol and in the process make money by selling it at the premium rate."

Just a couple of weeks ago, two Cumbrian licensees were prosecuted for selling cheap spirits as more popular brands, following anonymous complaints from members of the public.

The prosecutions signal a crackdown by trading standards officers across the country on unscrupulous licensees, with officers warning retailers not to substitute spirits as they will not get away with it.