Urgent warning over fake vodka that smells of ‘nail varnish remover’

More than 40 bottles of counterfeit vodka have been seized from a shop in Scotland after a customer reported it smelling of nail varnish remover.

The dodgy booze was being sold fraudulently with the label of popular Scottish budget brand Glen’s at a store in Coatbridge, Lanarkshire.

North Lanarkshire Council’s environmental health team and Food Standards Scotland (FSS) whisked away the haul of 35cl bottles for analysis.

Officials warned shoppers to check their alcohol before knocking it back, as the contraband product can be a ‘huge risk to health’.

Ron McNaughton, head of the Scottish Food Crime and Incidents Unit at FSS, provided tips for anyone suspicious that their vodka might be fake.

He said: ‘Drinking these types of products presents a huge risk to health.

‘The labelling, the look of the packaging and the smell can suggest something’s not right.

‘When you buy counterfeit alcohol you have no way of knowing what ingredients it contains and how strong it is which could lead to serious illness and intoxication following one or two drinks.

‘Please get in touch if you believe you have bought any counterfeit products.’

North Lanarkshire councillor Helen Loughran added: ‘This was a significant discovery by officers from a retail premises in Coatbridge who acted quickly to remove the fake products from sale.

‘Our environmental health and food safety officers remain vigilant to the potential issue of counterfeit alcohol within North Lanarkshire to protect public health.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.