A SOUTHAMPTON shop has been banned from selling alcohol after counterfeit Smirnoff vodka made a customer sick.

The customer complained of vomiting and blurred vision after drinking some of the vodka he bought from Pound Xtra in St Mary’s Road.

Councillors at a licensing hearing agreed to a request by Southampton Trading Standards to suspend the shop’s alcohol licence for three months as a deterrent and to allow the business to install CCTV.

The councillors also threatened to revoke the shop’s licence if further offences were committed.

Akilu Alem, a partner in the business, had told trading standards officers he had got the vodka from an unknown man with a van, who had dropped it off without taking payment, but was unable to produce a delivery note or invoice.

Officers also seized 72 packs of counterfeit Marlboro cigarettes that were in a black bin bag behind the counter. Mr Alem claimed they were not for sale.

Following the hearing, the shop must in future keep proper records and challenge anyone looking under 25 who wants to buy alcohol.

In a separate case, a second shop, Dabs Cash and Carry, in Addis Square, Portswood Road, Southampton, had its licence suspended for one month after it was caught selling alcohol to two 15-year-olds in a trading standards operation.

The business owner, David Ojo, claimed the sale had not taken place because he could not see them on his CCTV, which he must now install as a condition of his licence.

Southampton Trading Standards team leader Malcolm Thornton said: “We work hard to make sure shops in the city are acting responsibly and within the law.

“This serves as a warning to other premises in the city that we will take action if we suspect you are selling alcohol to under-age youngsters or selling counterfeit goods.

“Counterfeit food and drink can be very dangerous to consume, and if anyone suspects a shop is selling counterfeit goods I would urge them to get in contact with us.”

Council leader Royston Smith added: “This is a great result for our Trading Standards team and underlines a very serious issue.

“We have a responsibility to ensure that premises in Southampton are not endangering our residents, and we will continue to do all we can to crack down on counterfeit goods and the under-age sale of alcohol.”