BOGUS bottles of booze which could cause sickness and even blindness could be on sale in Harrow shops this Christmas, it has been warned.

Environmental health officers from Harrow Council are planning to visit shops, clubs, and bars in the borough hunting for counterfeit vodka which could be potentially dangerous to drink.

Last year they seized more than 50 bottles which contained 38 times the permitted level of methanol – enough to induce nausea, sickness, and blindness.

There are fears Russian and Eastern European gangs are flooding the London market with thousands of bottles of fake vodka, which could be on sale across the borough.

So far this year, officers have already seized six fake Glen's vodka bottle and are now on the lookout for more whch have made their way on to Harrow's shop shelves.

Councillor Susan Hall, deputy leader of the council, said: "This isn't about being killjoys at Christmas, it is about the council ensuring that if the public ask for a branded drink, they get what they ask for and not a noxious copy laced with potentially dangerous levels of methanol."