South Ayrshire Council - News - Pubs and Clubs Measure up for Christmas

Pubs and Clubs Measure up for Christmas

In the run up to the festive season, South Ayrshire Council Trading Standards Officers have been checking for pubs and clubs that might short measure or pass off inferior brands to the public.

Undercover officers carried out visits to 40 licensed premises throughout South Ayrshire where they made checks on the quantity of hand poured spirits and the authenticity of branded drinks on sale.

As a general rule gin, rum, vodka and whisky being sold in pubs, clubs and restaurants have to be sold in prescribed quantities or multiples of 25ml, 35ml and spirits served to customers have to correspond to those requested by the customer. Any substitution of a brand with that of a cheaper one is a breach of the Trade Descriptions Act.

Of all the 40 premises visited, 5 sold short measure to the officers, and received a formal Trading Standards warning. The bar staff on the day were also notified of the findings and cautioned to be more vigilant in the future to ensure that correct measures are served at all times. Follow up visits are planned to ensure that bar staff, licensees and owners involved have taken steps to ensure that customers receive an accurate measure.

While at the premises, substitution checks were carried out on different well-known brand spirits to detect any counterfeit spirits being sold. This involved the use of a brand authenticator kit that can be used on the premises and gives an immediate indication as to the authenticity of the brand being tested. All the spirits tested on the premises passed the onsite test using the kit. Some brands that could not be tested on the premises using this equipment have been submitted to the Public Analyst for a more detailed chemical test by comparing the samples taken to a ‘fingerprint’ profile of the actual branded spirit.

Councillor Hugh Hunter, Convener of South Ayrshire Council’s Community Safety Committee said, “Whilst we always advocate sensible consumption of alcohol it is reassuring to know that consumers and visitors to South Ayrshire will be getting an accurate measure and genuine brand of their desired drink over the Christmas period. This is a time when pubs and clubs will have a high turnover of people through their doors and it is good to know that they can have confidence in what they will be served when they use licensed premises in South Ayrshire. It is reassuring to note that these are the best results we have found for a few years.”

Councillor Hugh Hunter added, “South Ayrshire Trading Standards have in the past few years helped the local licensed trade apply a high standard by assisting them with staff training and guidance on complying with the law. As a result South Ayrshire Trading Standards have been the subject of two special awards. The latest award was received at this year’s Trading Standards Institute conference from the industry representatives, the International Federation of Spirit Producers (IFSP) for their continuing success in checking various brands of alcohol for substitution.”

Anyone involved in the local licensed trade can access free advice from Trading Standards at the address below. Similarly if members of the public suspect that they have been sold short measure
drinks or received counterfeit brand spirits, they should also contact Trading Standards at River Terrace, Ayr or call Ayr 616060.

December 2006