Gangs sell Scotch bottles filled with cold tea

Gangs from a UK seaside town are duping bargain hunters by selling them cheap bottles of Scotch and vodka filled with cold tea and water.

Street gangs from Blackpool are duping consumers by selling them bottles of Scotch and vodka filled with cold tea and warm water

The scam has seen Blackpool gang-members pull empty bottles of spirits from the bins of local bars and fill them with tea or water before gluing the unsealed caps back on.

These counterfeit bottles are then sold to unwitting consumers on the streets, prompting one bar to post a sign reading: “Please do not purchase any bottles of fake alcohol from road sellers.”

Ryan Armstrong, assistant manager of the bar, called Ma Kelly’s, told The Blackpool Gazette: “They come in the back and take the empties then just fill them up and sell the bottles of water or cold tea on the street for a tenner a time.

“It’s mad people would buy alcohol on the street really but I suppose they think they are getting a bargain.”

Another bar claimed that some conmen had even mixed cola and water in empty Disaronno bottles in an attempt to trick consumers.

Police have advised bars in the area to smash empty bottles of spirits before disposing of them.

A spokesman for Lancashire Police told The Gazette: “When something sounds too good to be true it usually is and we would strongly advise against buying on the street.

“Aside from the obvious health issues it’s pretty obvious there is something dodgy about someone selling half price spirits on the streets of Blackpool.

“Anyone buying them might think they are getting a bargain until they get home and settle down to a cold tea on the rocks.”

To avoid falling prey to scams such as these, take a look at our eight telltale signs of counterfeit spirits.