BOTTLES of cheap knock-off vodka which could cause blindness or even death have been seized in towns throughout Herts including Harpenden. Herts Trading Standards put out a warning last week for residents to be wary of purchasing counterfeit Glen s Vodk

BOTTLES of cheap "knock-off" vodka which could cause blindness or even death have been seized in towns throughout Herts including Harpenden.

Herts Trading Standards put out a warning last week for residents to be wary of purchasing counterfeit Glen's Vodka and since then they have discovered 120 bottles from premises all over the county, some of which were in the town.

The 70cl bottles of the spirit, which have not been through the company's strict distilling process, had previously been found in neighbouring Bucks which sparked a national investigation.

Said county councillor Richard Smith, executive member for community safety: "We are talking to the owners of licensed premises where the bottles have been found to try to find out the source of the counterfeit vodka. Samples are also being analysed."

Genuine Glen's Vodka can be easily identified because it comes in bottles supplied by Allied Glass Containers with a small AGC logo on the base. Embossed on the glass around 5mm from the base is 70cl 58mm C12173.

The counterfeit bottles also appear to have self-adhesive front and back labels with no visible glue pattern while on the genuine vodka they have a distinctive glue pattern on the back of the label.