Inc 378 of 13 July 2011
UPDATE 5 ISSUED AT 12.05PM ON 18/07/2011
Police investigating the explosion on the Broadfield Industrial Estate in Boston on Wednesday night have confirmed that the industrial unit housed a filtration plant that was being used for the production of illicit alcohol being distributed and sold as Vodka.
The exact cause of the explosion is still being determined.
Det Supt Guy Collings said, "The existence of this enterprise illustrates that there is a market for counterfeit alcohol and we would urge the public to ensure that they only purchase from legitimate sources and check products to ensure they are genuine".
Mark Keal, Divisional Manager for Advice and Information at Lincolnshire Trading Standards, said:
"When we have seized counterfeit alcohol in the past, it has contained substances such as chemicals used in cleaning products that would certainly be harmful to people's health. To reduce the demand for such products, the public really need to be aware that counterfeit alcohol is not a bargain, but illegal and potentially deadly. We work with our partners in Lincolnshire Police and HMRC to take these products off the shelves of irresponsible retailers.
"Counterfeit alcohol will generally be much lower in price than genuine branded products, and the labelling will often be low quality and may contain spelling mistakes. We would urge people to carefully consider where they buy their alcohol and avoid buying it from places like markets, car boot sales or from individuals."
