Unregulated and potentially dangerous fake alcohol has been found for sale in Bradford, West Yorkshire Trading Standards has warned.

Senior trading standards officer David Lodge said they had seen an increase in the availability of bogus booze over the last 12 months – with some bottles containing traces of chemicals suggesting the alcohol has been through an industrial process.

He said the increase in its prevalence could be down to the recession and “somebody wanting to make a cheap buck”.

West Yorkshire Trading Standards had uncovered fake drinks on sale for similar prices as budget supermarket booze, he added.

Branded up with a fake name and designed to look as though it has come from Eastern Europe, he said customers would buy the counterfeit booze thinking they were getting a good deal on a quality product.

“In reality it has come through the back door. There’s no duty paid on it. We’re finding they are made from industrial alcohol,” said Mr Lodge.

“There’s all sorts of traces of chemicals in there, meths and one thing and another.”

He said it was believed alcohol which had already been through an industrial process, which should be being treated as a waste product, was being sold.

“The message is that it has got potential to have any kind of chemical in there that we just don’t know what it is,” he said.

“Anything could happen basically. It is totally unregulated and has the potential to be quite dangerous. That stuff has been found in Bradford.”

The warning comes after reports last November that a Bradford man nearly lost his sight drinking fake booze called Drop Vodka, which he allegedly bought from an off-licence in the city.

According to consumer rights campaigners Which?, tell-tale signs of fake booze include poorly-produced labels and a lack of health warnings.

Anyone who has information about fake alcohol on sale in the district can report it to Trading Standards by phoning (08454) 040506.