COUNTERFEIT vodka that could cause blindness was being sold from a shop in Barry High Street.

An investigation by the Vale council's Trading Standards and Environmental Health teams found bottles of Selekt vodka being sold at the Best One store, High Street, Barry.

The bottles, which were found to contain isopropanol - which if ingested could lead to blindness - were bought by shop owner Mohammed Sultan from the back of a van.

The investigation was launched after a complaint from a suspicious member of the public who bought the vodka and found it to have a "strange taste".

A number of bottles were seized by Council officers and sent to the public analyst for testing.

The investigation found that Sultan had purchased the vodka from an individual selling out of the back of his van. The seller also provided a fake invoice for the vodka.

The court heard that it was Sultan's first offence of selling counterfeit goods. He pleaded guilty to and was fined £130 for each offence, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £20 and costs of £805.44. The total fine was £1,215.44.

The Magistrates also granted an order for the forfeiture and destruction of the counterfeit vodka.

Principal Trading Standards Officer Christina Roberts-Kinsey said: “This case clearly shows the importance of purchasing stock from reputable traders.

"The consequences of selling counterfeit goods that are injurious to health are serious. In this case we are very lucky no one was seriously injured.”

Leader of the Council Neil Moore added: “This is another example of the importance of the work undertaken by Trading Standards and Environmental Health in safeguarding the public.

"If residents have any concerns or information regarding counterfeit items I would urge you to contact our officers on 01446 709105.”