Officials are warning students to be vigilant after 600 bottles of counterfeit vodka were seized from a nightclub in Leeds.

Officers from West Yorkshire Trading Standards raided the club last month after a tipoff from a member of the public.

It is understood that the club, which is yet to be named, is now under investigation.

David Lodge, Divisional Manager at West Yorkshire Trading Standards told the paper “This is one of the largest hauls of counterfeit vodka that we have seized in recent months and, unusually, it was found in a large quantity rather than finding a few dozen bottles at a smaller retailer”.

He also warned students to be aware of what they are drinking when out in Leeds:

News of the latest illegal haul follows an undercover investigation led by Leeds Student last year, which exposed a number of retailers in the Hyde Park area who were selling the counterfeit brand ‘Drop Vodka’.

Mr Lodge added: “When out in town or buying a bottle from your local off license, be aware of what you are drinking. Rather than making an absolute counterfeit and copy a well-known brand, these criminals often make up their own brand names to convince potential customers of their apparent authenticity.”

Typically, fake vodka contains industrial alcohol; a lethal mix which can include chloroform, cleaning fluids or methylated sprits. Students who have bought such ‘vodka’ have complained of severe headaches, vomiting and in some cases even hospitalised or partially blinded.

James Greenhalgh