With the New Year a few hours ahead and most British people looking forward to drinking a lot of alcohol as part of celebrating the end of 2015 and welcoming 2016, the Local Government Association (LGA) representing over “370 councils in England and Wales, is urging shoppers to keep safe by looking out for the tell-tale signs that bottles are fake – unfamiliar brand names, crooked labels, spelling mistakes and unusually low prices,” reports the Daily Mail UK.
According to LGA) hundreds of thousands of litres of fake alcohol have been seized in the run-up to the festive season, as officials try to quash the billion-pound counterfeit liquor industry and keep their users safe.
“Everyone likes a bargain, especially at this time of year, but drinking cheap, fake alcohol could seriously harm your health and even kill you, so people should avoid it all costs,” says Simon Blackburn, chairman of the LGA’s Safer and Stronger Communities Board.
“Trading Standards teams at councils across the country have been cracking down on businesses selling illegal, fake alcohol and we will continue to target rogue outlets.
“Some shopkeepers clearly have questions to answer about how these items arrive on their shelves. They need to think twice about stocking these products as we will always seek to prosecute irresponsible traders.
“Not only does fake alcohol present a significant danger to health, illegal sales undermine local businesses and threaten genuine jobs.”
Read the full article on the Daily Mail website.
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