Counterfeit warning

Surrey County Council trading standards are repeating a warning for licensees to look out for counterfeit bottles of Johnnie Walker which can cause blindness or leave you in a coma if consumed. Some 50 bottles of the counterfeit whisky were seized in Hackney and a spokeswoman for trading standards said: "The fake bottles contain a very high level of Methanol, which can have serious effects on your health including severe abdominal pain, drowsiness, dizziness, blurred vision leading to blindness and the risk of coma with breathing difficulties. "The risks are higher be-cause the symptoms of metha-nol poisoning can be delayed for several hours so victims may not be immediately aware of the dangers," she added. Surrey Trading Standards has offered the following tips to identify the counterfeit Johnnie Walker Black Label whisky. The bottles have Spanish language on the rear label; fake lot code L04P24878342 printed on the rear of the front centre label; the word distillers in the Royal Warrant statement on the counterfeit bottles' neck labels is incorrectly spelt as distilleries, and the counterfeit bottles have no E mark on their base between 700ml and 73mm. Witnesses appeal Police are appealing for witnesses after a 61-year-old man was knocked over trying to stop two thieves escaping from the Bull pub car park on High Street, Wheathampstead. A man was seen breaking into a red car and the car's owner then saw two men driving off in a light coloured car believed to be an Astra. He tried to block their path but was thrown onto the bonnet and grabbed the driver's side wiper blade, which came off. The thieves then drove off. Unprovoked attack A gang of four thugs followed a young reveller from his late-night drinking session at Hounslow's Edwards Bar before taking turns to beat him around the head with their baseball bats. Four men in their 30s have been arrested in connection with the attack and three of the weapons used have been recovered. The 26-year-old victim had been drinking in the pub with three friends at around 11pm. Investigating officers said the attack was unprovoked. Table dance plan shelved The owner of the controversial HA8 Bar in Edgware has withdrawn plans to introduce nude table dancing. John McGowan, who in-tended to attract a more up-market clientele to the former Oscar Wilde in Edgware High Street, has withdrawn the application to employ nude male and female table dancers. Operations manager Alli-son Hammond came up with the idea in an attempt to curb the hooligan element associated with the Oscar Wilde in the past. In March 2001 an Albanian refugee was stabbed to death by an angry mob of 30 people in the Oscar Wilde. Attack after pub visit A man was attacked after walking home from the Welcome Inn in Lordship Lane, Tottenham, North London. The man was walking in Lordship Park when he was hit over the head and knocked unconscious. When he came round, he discovered he had two fractured fingers, a fractured jaw and severe bruising to his eye and knee. He also found that his belongings had been stolen. He was taken to North Middlesex Hospital. Knocked unconscious A man was headbutted and knocked unconscious during an argument at the Wheatsheaf pub in Upper Tooting Road, South London on Saturday. A group of seven men were drinking in the pub at around 1.30am when the incident happened and police are anxious to trace a stocky white man aged around 40 wearing workmen's clothes and a black leather jacket.