People who are trying to save money this New Year are being warned of the dangers of buying and consuming cheap fake vodka.

Tests on counterfeit bottles recently seized by council trading standards officers from around the country have revealed alarming levels of methanol – a key ingredient used to make anti-freeze with the potential to blind somebody – as well as various industrial solvents.

Tell tale signs of fake vodka include:

•Drink smells of nail varnish

•Wonky labels

•Poor quality print

•Spelling mistakes

•Bottles on the shelf not filled to the same level

A shopkeeper was recently fined £16,000 after Surrey County Council Trading Standards seized fake Glen’s vodka which, when tested, contained 235 times more methanol than the legal limit.

Whilst Trading Standards Officers at Horsham District Council issued a warning to residents following a seizure of Drop Vodka, Red Admiral, Arctic Ice and Spar Imperial that contained the industrial solvent, Propan-2-ol. Smirnoff and Glen’s vodka was previously copied with bottles containing 52.5% strength alcohol despite the labels’ claims of 37.5%.

People living in Wokingham have also been alerted to a consignment of 700 one-litre bottles of Drop Vodka which, when investigated by West Berkshire and Wokingham Trading Standards teams, contained chloroform.

Cllr Paul Bettison, Local Government Association Regulation Spokesman, said:

“We have all seen the dreadful scenes in India recently highlighting the fatal truth of what can happen if you drink fake alcohol. It is often made in uncontrolled conditions and those buying and drinking it will have no idea of its contents. Everyone wants a bargain, especially at this time of year, but surely the potential health risks far outweigh any financial savings. Purchasing it also does nothing to help legitimate businesses stay afloat.

“Frankly, if the offer seems too good to be true, then it probably is. If anyone is suspicious about a supplier or feels that they may have bought a bottle of counterfeit alcohol, please do not drink it. Instead, contact your local council or Consumer Direct for advice as a matter of urgency.”

Other recent investigations include:

Salford City Council’s Trading Standards team seized 89 bottles of counterfeit Smirnoff and 15 bottles of Drop Vodka in raids last month and in September. On analysis, the drinks were found to contain denatured alcohol unfit for human consumption.

One in five independent off licences in Staffordshire were found to have been selling counterfeit alcohol during a recent trading standards crackdown. Staffordshire County Council’s trading standards department launched an investigation after reports of people’s throats burning after drinking certain types of vodka. About 1,800 bottles were seized from 73 stores. Products confiscated were found to contain high levels of methanol.

St Helen’s Borough Council’s Trading Standards team has recently taken two prosecutions against licensed premises for selling substituted Smirnoff vodka. Earlier this month a bar owner had his alcohol licence suspended for a week and was fined £200 with £1,000 costs.

Nottinghamshire County Council’s trading standards found cleaning fluid and methanol in bottles of fake brand and counterfeit vodka on sale at two off-licences in Mansfield. Isopropanol – a chemical used in cleaning fluids – was found in five bottles of Drop Vodka. Methanol was found in eight bottles of counterfeit vodka, falsely labelled as Glen’s brand.

Waste collection crews are working on Saturday, December 31 to ensure that additional waste generated as a result of the festive season is collected.

Some households due to receive a domestic waste collection on Friday, December 30, may instead have their bins emptied on Saturday, December 31.

Domestic waste (green bins) not collected by 5pm on Friday, December 30, should be presented on Saturday, December 31 by 7am. Any waste not collected after 11am on Saturday, December 31, will be collected on Tuesday, January 3.

North East Lincolnshire Council has had an additional 11 waste collection crews working in between Chirstmas and New Year. During three days, crews have collected 250 tonnes of additional waste, compared to an average week. As a result of this increased volume, it is necessary for additional crews to work on Saturday.

Waste and recycling collections over the festive season

Bank holidays will affect bin collections over the Christmas and New Year period.

All households have been sent a Christmas card from the waste and recycling team detailing the changes along with what residents can do with extra glass, paper, cans, aerosols and plastic bottles, generated as a result of the festive season. Download a copy from the left hand side of this page.

Residents can also check their collection dates by visiting www.nelincs.gov.uk/bincollections or by phoning the waste hotline during working hours on (01472) 325841.

Garden waste collections

North East Lincolnshire residents are also reminded that their garden waste collections are reduced to once a month up to March 2012. Refuse teams have been placing a sticker on brown garden waste bins over the last month indicating which week collections will take place each month.

Residents are asked to place their garden waste bins out for collection on their normal weekday between Monday to Friday. Listed below are the weeks that garden waste collections will be taking place between now and March 2012. Garden waste collections will be on households’ normal weekday, during either round one or round two, depending on where they live.

Round One

Week commencing Monday, January 9
Week commencing Monday, February 6
Week commencing Monday, March 5 then returning to fortnightly on:
Week commencing Monday, March 19 and fortnightly until further notice.

Round Two

Week commencing Monday, January 16
Week commencing Monday, February 13
Week commencing Monday, March 12 then returning to fortnightly on:
Week commencing Monday, March 26 and fortnightly until further notice.

Unfortunately it is not possible to list individual weekday collection dates by address. Residents can confirm their individual collection dates online at www.nelincs.gov.uk/bincollections or by phoning the waste hotline during working hours on (01472) 325841.

Christmas trees

After the festive season, residents can recycle their used ‘real’ Christmas trees by placing them next to their garden waste bin on their next scheduled collection day, as indicated above.

Alternatively trees that have root-balls can be re-planted in householders’ gardens, but only if they were watered regularly.

Community Recycling Centres (Rubbish tips)

Excess waste and recycling can also be taken to the council’s community recycling centres at Estuary Way, Pyewipe Industrial Estate, Grimsby, DN31 2UD and Queens Road, Immingham, DN40 1QR.

The community recycling centres will be open over the Christmas and New Year period as listed below:

Friday, December 30 8am to 6pm
Saturday, December 31 8am to 4pm
Sunday, January 1 Closed
Monday, January 2 8am to 6pm
Tuesday, January 3 8am to 6pm

North East Lincolnshire Council would like to say a big thank you to all residents who regularly separated their household waste for recycling throughout 2011.

With your co-operation, we can become a zero waste borough and have our best year for recovering waste for recycling.

Although more and more people are signing up to contract mobile phone deals, pay as you go remains the most popular type of mobile subscription.

More than half of the mobile subscriptions in the UK are pay as you go and the flexibility and convenience of these deals can offer a number of advantages to customers.

A pay as you go deal means you only pay for the calls and texts you use and you also have the freedom to change or end your deal at any time.

Because of this pay as you go deals are particularly useful for people who don’t make many calls or who only want to use their phone on the odd occasion.

For example, some people will keep a pay as you go mobile in their car in case of a breakdown, or give them to an older relative or a child so they can get in touch in an emergency, but did you know that if you don’t use your pay as you go phone at least once every 6 months, when you do go to use it you could be left without a signal.

That is because if a pay as you go phone number is not being used, the mobile operator can suspend the service and recycle the number. Mobile companies do this to ensure that the numbers they have are being used efficiently.

To prevent this happening you should top up your phone, make a call or send a text once every few months (and at a minimum once every six months) to ensure that your phone remains active and usable.

Ofcom has a guide on how to get the best mobile deal which explains the differences between pay-as-you-go and contract deals, as well as looking at issues such as using your phone abroad and keeping your number when switching provider, but if you are thinking of switching to a different mobile phone provider, do not assume that you will automatically enjoy the same coverage as yhe strength of a mobile signal varies depending on where you live and which provider you choose, so, just because you enjoy a strong signal with your current provider it doesn’t mean that a competitor will provide the same coverage.

This Ofcom guide explains the practical steps you can take to maximise your mobile coverage .

The Government has announced measures to reduce the number of drivers who abuse the disabled parking scheme will begin on January 1, which is estimated to cost the UK £46 million a year.

Democrat Transport Minister, Norman Baker announced the measures, which include a new Blue Badge design which is more difficult to copy.

The badges provide a vital lifeline to over 2.5 million disabled people every year by prioritising parking spaces close to important services, but rising levels of badge fraud have meant those spaces are often full.

Previously, Blue Badges were made from card and hand written by a local government officer, but from January 1 disabled drivers will apply for an electronically printed badge, similar to a driving licence.

The new badge will have security features such as a unique hologram, digital photo and serial number allowing parking attendants to check for genuine badges more easily through the windscreen.

Other changes taking place from January 1 include the ability of badge holders to apply for renewals online, and methods to determine the eligibility of those seeking badges will be improved.

Mr Baker said:

“Motorists who pretend to be disabled to get some free parking are frankly disgraceful. They prevent real Blue Badge holders from using parking bays designed for those genuinely in need and they cheat the vast majority of road users who play fair when they park their cars.

“Our new Blue Badge will be as secure as a banknote and anyone thinking of faking it can forget it. We are also tightening up on enforcement and eligibility so there will be no way to scam the system.”

Helen Dolphin, director of policy and campaigns at Disabled Motoring UK, said:

“After years of campaigning for improvements to the Blue Badge scheme, I’m delighted that changes that make the scheme fit for the 21st century have been introduced.”

New research by Gocompare.com suggests that that despite 65% of consumers anticipating that 2012 will be a very difficult year financially, more than 12 million of them have not switched any of the 20 most common financial products, which include car insurance, home insurance, energy supplier, credit card or mortgage lender, in the last year.

Just over 8% of those who responded (more than two million Britons) say their biggest financial concern for 2012 will be keeping up their mortgage or rent payments, and 22% give the rising cost of living and bills as their biggest concern, but many of them are not getting a better deal on their finances.

The Gocompare website says that customers can save themselves an average of £394 by changing their car insurance company and £126 by changing their buildings and contents insurance company, and with energy bills continuing to rise, swicthing energy companies could save an average of £557 on a gas and electricity bills

John Miles, business development director at Gocompare.com, said:

“Nearly two thirds of Brits are expecting 2012 to be a very difficult year for their finances, but our research shows that millions of consumers could be missing out on hundreds of pounds worth of savings by not reviewing their finances and switching to better deals on some of the most common financial products.

“Insurers, banks, energy providers and lenders do not customarily reward loyal customers with the best premiums, interest rates or tariffs, so it’s up to the consumer to spend a little time seeking out the best deals.”

The following article by Liberal Democrat MP for Redcar,Ian Swales, originally appeared on the Liberal Democrat Voice website:

The Labour party think they can win the economic argument by just wailing about cuts on behalf of their public sector union paymasters. They give no credible alternatives for what they would do about Britain’s economic crisis.

What they also like to ignore is some of the changes that are being made towards making this country fairer. Here is a list of cuts WE should be talking about because they are mostly happening through Lib Dem action and pressure:

• The CUT from £250,000 to £50,000 in the maximum annual pension contribution to receive tax relief clawing back a staggering £4,000,000,000 (£4bn) that Labour was giving to the rich.

• The CUT in bank profits with a new tax raising £2.5 bn a year.

• The CUT in regional disparity through the £2.4 bn regional growth fund.

• The CUT in tax paid by ordinary people with the basic tax threshold raised to £8,105by next April from £6475 in 2010/11 – and no more 10p tax rate fiascos.

• The CUT in the 40% tax threshold meaning the better off pay more.

• The CUT in money that Labour allowed people to make in Capital Gains with the tax rate rising from 18% to 28%.

• The CUT in pensioner poverty with a triple lock guarantee of rises and the biggest ever cash rise coming in April 2012.

• The CUT in the gap between rich and poor through the VAT rise. Remember those who spend most pay most and the basic costs of living don’t have standard rate VAT.

• The CUT in benefit fraud with new resources being brought in.

• The CUT in tax evasion by the rich with £900m of extra resource.

• The CUT in education disadvantage for poorer children through the Pupil Premium.

• The CUT in the amount per month students will have to pay back after graduation and a higher threshold before they start paying anything.

Remember, Labour didn’t deliver these changes in their 13 years of government and voted AGAINST them in this government.

Lib Dems in parliament are pushing a fairness agenda and showing that Labour can never again be trusted with the economy.

If you have Labour Councils you can probably see the same incompetence and wrong choices in your area too. It’s time to go out and tell the public.

By the way, just for good measure we also CUT Tory plans to increase the Inheritance
Tax threshold from £350,000 to £1,000,000!

Ian Swales is the Liberal Democrat MP for Redcar

Lib Dem MEP Sir Graham Watson has challenged a top EU official to a prune-eating contest to prove the food can be sold as a proven laxative.

His unusual move followed a de- cision by an advisory panel look- ing at medicinal or health claims for plant-based foods.

Among 95% of claims rejected is one that prunes have a laxative effect.

Graham Watson said: “I have asked the Commission if it is sat- isfied with the criteria and the methodology used for tests. Prunes contain two substances sorbitol and dihydrophenylisatin, which have laxative effects. But most of my constituents do not require a scientific test.”

“I have also invited the Commis- sioner responsible for health and consumer policy, John Dalli, to a prune eating contest to see for himself!”

A Lib Dem Euro MP leading the campaign for more sustainable fishing policies has welcomed the result of talks between the European Commission and Fisheries Ministers from EU countries to set fishing quotas for 2012.
North West MEP Chris Davies is Secretary of the cross-party ‘Fish for the Future’ group in the European Parliament, and is drafting the Environment Committee’s proposed changes to plans for reform of the Common Fisheries Policy.

Chris Davies said:

“A fair balance has been struck and it is good for the long term future of fish and for fishermen. It pays respect to the scientific realities and accepts the need to stick to long term management plans to allow fish stocks to recover.

“Thanks to past efforts we are now seeing a good recovery in haddock stocks and the beginnings of recovery in cod numbers. These improvements must not be put at risk by overfishing now.

“It is a difficult situation when cod and haddock share the same waters, and it is very important indeed that fishermen everywhere start to use more selective fishing gear. The idea of hoovering up everything in the seas is no longer acceptable.”

Also in December, the European Court of Auditors condemned the misuse of €2.7 billion intended to encourage the scrapping of fishing vessels and reduce over- capacity.

A report found the money was being used by Member States and boat owners to build bigger vessels or increase engine power – exactly the opposite of what was intended.

Most fishing boats scrapped were already out of use. Commissioner Maria Damanaki told the Parliament’s Fisheries Committee that the policy was mistaken and would end.

She said:

“The ECA is explicit; the policy must end. In future money will be given for better safety, for storage of fish that might otherwise be discarded, and for selective fishing gear. But there will be no money given for modernisation of engines or to increase the capacity of our fishing fleet. It is not an option.”

Lib Dem MEP for the South West Sir Graham Watson has slammed UKIP’s decision to appoint the disgraced former Tory MP Neil Hamilton onto their National Executive Committee.

“Hamilton has the audacity to claim that he wishes to restore self-respect to Britain. Pot calling the kettle black is all I can say to him.”

‘UKIP are not new to corrupt figures within their organisation. Former UKIP MEP Tom Wise was sent to prison for 2 years for spending over £35,000 on cars and wine at the tax payer’s expense. Another MEP Ashley Mote was jailed for 9 months for falsely claiming over £65,000 in state benefits.

The Lib Dem MEP continued: “I thought UKIP would have learnt their lesson but clearly not.’

“How can they ever be taken seriously when figures such as Hamilton occupy key positions within the party?”

Hamilton was embroiled in the ‘cash for questions’ scandal in 1994 in which it was reported that Neil Hamilton had accepted
money by the then Harrods owner Mohammed Al-Fayed to ask questions in the House of Commons.

Following a campaign by anti-sleaze campaigner Martin Bell, Neil Hamilton was heavily defeated in the
1997 general election.

Just how healthy is your favourite fruity drink?

That is the question South East MEP Catherine Bearder demanded juice makers must answer.

Euro MPs have voted at Strasbourg in favour of stricter rules on the composition of fruit juices and ensure companies stick to stricter labelling guidelines.

The intention is to improve the quality of fruit drinks in the EU, and will make sure you know exactly which ones contain extra sugar or sweeteners.

Catherine, who is diabetic, said the legislation is a good example of all European Union countries working together.

She said:

“For many consumers with health issues such as diabetes and allergies it is vitally important to clearly state what has been put in their drinks.

“I am delighted that in the future it will be prohibited to put extra sugar in drinks labelled as fruit juice.

“And any product will have to state what juices it contains and how much of each. No more apples disguised as strawberries!”

The new rules will come into force after a transition period of 18 months and will apply to all juice products regardless of whether they are produced in the EU or imported from elsewhere.