A Clayhall shop fined for selling a “weird tasting” liquid disguised as Glen’s Vodka has avoided having its licence revoked by “the skin of its teeth”.

Redbridge Council’s licensing committee yesterday (November 26) decided instead to suspend the licence of Glades Food and Wine, in Atherton Road, and impose 27 conditions upon it.

This means that no alcohol can be sold from the store until February 26 next year.

The meeting began at 10.30am and finished just before 4pm, with the committee deliberating for around an hour and a half before making a decision.

“The committee members considered the matter, involving the sale of counterfeit vodka with traces of methanol, to be very, very serious” committee member Howard Berlin told the Recorder following the meeting.

“The shop owner avoided having her licence revoked by the skin of her teeth.”

He added: “The conditions imposed are very onerous.”

Twenty-five of the conditions imposed were taken from a list of suggestions put forward in Redbridge Trading Standards’ application for the council to review the shop’s licence.

This includes a requirement for all staff to be “given appropriate training covering duty evaded and counterfeit alcohol” and for all alcohol to “be purchased from a registered bonafide wholesaler”.

An additional condition added by the committee prohibits Nevzat Sanli – the father of the shop’s designated owner Ebru Sanli – from buying or selling alcohol in the property.

On September 14 this year, Nevzat was ordered to pay £2,450 after he pleaded guilty to selling phoney vodka at Barkingside Magistrates’ Court.

Redbridge Council brought charges against Ebru and Nevzat after, in May last year, an unsuspecting resident purchased 20cl bottle of what was supposed to be Glen’s vodka.

A 35-year-old Clayhall mum, who did not wish to be named, told the Recorder that a bottle she purchased from the store smelt like “paint stripper” on opening.

“I took one sip and thought ‘woah, that is not right’,” she added.

The mum, who had frequently visited the shop, said she experienced a headache later on that evening but suffered no “major” adverse effects to her health.

She said she worries the consequences could have been worse if sold to an underage person.

She made a complaint to Redbridge Council’s trading standards team, who confirmed the bottles to be fake after tests in a laboratory.

The labels and caps were forged, while the liquid was found to have an alcohol strength of 36.98per cent rather, below the legal minimum of 37.5pc.