Off-licences and pubs caught out in counterfeit alcohol raids
Twenty-one off-licences and four pubs were caught out in a trading standards operation across Salford targeting counterfeit alcohol.
Seventy-one shops and pubs, some of which had been caught before, were visited during the five-day operation which saw 436 bottles of illicit alcohol seized.
An investigation has been launched to find the source of the illegal alcohol, some of which was found to contain excessive levels of methanol.
Sarah Appleby, head of enforcement at the Food Standards Agency (FSA), which partially funded the operation, said: 'I am delighted that our close work and financial assistance has helped Salford Trading Standards seize this illicit alcohol.
"The FSA is determined to stamp out food fraud so that consumers are not misled, and we are working very closely with local authorities to achieve this."
