2:47pm Thursday 26th August 2010
By Claire Marshall
FIRE crews attending a blaze at a storage shed in a remote location in Iron Acton called police after discovering an illicit alcohol still.
Officers were called in at about 7pm on Sunday, August 22 and found around 30 barrels of alcohol, bottles and bottling and labelling equipment.
Neighbourhood PC Ian Matthews said HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) are investigating the incident.
PC Matthews said: "It seems that vodka was being illegally made and bottled at this site. Tests will be carried out by HMRC to check the alcohol content, but indications suggest it would be seriously harmful to health if drunk.
"I would urge anyone who has bought 'Chekov Imperial Vodka' or 'Chundoff Russian Vodka' unusually cheaply to contact either police on 0845 456 7000 or HMRC on 0800 595000."
Lisa Billard of HM Revenue & Customs said: "HMRC officers, working with police, have removed an illicit still from the fire-damaged alcohol plant. The fraudsters behind this have not only evaded duty and produced fake 'UK excise duty paid' stamps, but the vodka has been manufactured illegally using a known brand name and without the usual health and safety checks."
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