The poison in vodka bottles allegedly sent by a Manchester man as part of a campaign for Scottish independence was strong enough to kill the intended recipients, a court has heard.

It would also have posed a serious risk to members of the public or postal staff if the bottles had broken in transit, Manchester Crown Court was told yesterday.

Wayne Cook, aged 45, of Robert Street, Atherton, is on trial, charged with two counts of using noxious substances or things to cause harm and intimidate, under anti-terrorism legislation.

The unemployed father of three is accused of sending two miniature bottles of vodka filled with caustic soda to public figures as part of a campaign by the Scottish National Liberation Army (SNLA) to force the British Government out of Scotland. He denies the charges.

Another man, Steven Robinson, has pleaded guilty to the same charges. The court heard that the concentrations of caustic soda in the bottles were 20.2 per cent and 31.5 per cent.

The worst-case scenario of these concentrations, said toxicology expert Dr John Jackson, was death.

Dr Jackson said that ingesting the liquids would have caused damage to the gullet, oesophagus and surrounding tissues, possibly causing a hole in the windpipe.

If the liquids had come into contact with the skin, it could have resulted in nerve damage or caused joints to seize.

Contact with the eyes would probably have led to loss of sight, while simply taking a sip and then spitting it out could have led to serious facial disfigurement.

Dr Jackson said: "The chemical penetrates tissues to a remarkable extent - not just those in contact, but those around it as well."

The two parcels containing the vodka bottles were sent to Darwen councillor John Wright and Scottish Daily Express journalist Myra Philp in April, 2007.

Royal Mail staff intercepted the parcel to Cllr Wright but the second made it to Ms Philp.

It was accompanied by a note signed by the SNLA, threatening to kill English people "at random and with no discrimination or compunction" in order to convince the British Government to withdraw from Scotland.

The case continues.