VODKA drinkers are warned to be on the lookout for a counterfeit brand contaminated with lethal methanol.
Tests on seized copycat Kirov vodka have revealed they contain enough methanol -- which is used in solvents and fuel -- to cause blindness and coma.
The counterfeit bottles come in 70cl and 35cl size and are clear, have a red screw top and a white label bearing the name in red.
The fakes can be spotted because the genuine bottles have a red screw top with a double-headed eagle printed in gold and black on the top and Kirov printed on the side in three places. The counterfeit tops are plain red.
And the genuine bottles have a lot code marked in black ink on the neck and the counterfeits do not.
Wigan health chiefs have warned that drinking alcohol laced with methanol could result in severe abdominal pains, drowsiness, dizziness, blurred vision leading to blindness and coma with breathing difficulties.
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