Licensee hit with £8,000 payout after spirits swap
A Lincolnshire licensee has had to pay out £8,000 in fines and costs after passing off supermarket spirits as premium brands.
Simon Crathorn, from the Blue Cow Inn at South Witham, was also found guilty of watering down spirits.
Trading Standards officers inspected stock following customer complaints and discovered that premium brands of gin, vodka and whisky had either been diluted with water or refilled with cheaper supermarket spirits.
Crathorn pleaded not guilty at Grantham magistrate's court and claimed that employees must have committed the offence whilst he was away on holiday.
But further investigations revealed that the practice had been going on for some time and he was fined £1,500 each for four offences and ordered to pay £2,000 in costs.
"Fortunately this illegal practice is not as prevalent as it was some years ago but we are continuing to do everything we can to protect customers from being ripped of by the small minority of licensees who refill premium branded spirits with cheaper product," said International Federation of Drinks Producers director Philip Scatchard.
"It is good practice not to refill bottles, even with the correct product and to ensure that all staff are properly trained to ensure that customers are served what they ask for and pay for."
In a separate case, Julian Rohodes of the Park Tavern, London road, Southend on Sea was fined £500 and ordered to pay £393 in costs after pleading guilty to two charges of passing off premium branded gin.
