Shops in UK given UV lights to spot fake alcohol

A UK council is giving more than 300 shops ultraviolet lights to check duty marks on bottles of alcohol.

Staffordshire County Council is including the ultraviolet (UV) lights in Fight the Fakes packs to help 334 independent retailers identify counterfeit bottles of vodka and other spirits. Shining the UV light on bottles identifies genuine duty marks to stop counterfeit spirits reaching consumers.

"If we're taking any dangerous counterfeit goods out of circulation we are achieving our goals," said Pat Corfield, cabinet member for communities.

As well as UV lights, the packs contain advice on illegal alcohol and tobacco products, a window sticker which states the retailer does not buy alcohol from cold callers and Fight the Fakes business cards which explain how people can report information about the supply of fake alcohol and tobacco, both of which are on the rise in the UK.

The anti-counterfeiting push comes one year after some people damaged their throats drinking fake vodka that contained methanol. Officials at the UK Food Standards Agency are worried about the rise in counterfeit spirits and gave £50,000 ($80,000) to the Fight the Fakes campaign.