COUNTERFEIT vodka containing lethal chemicals could be in circulation across Bolton.

A woman bought two bottles -which carry with the logo of genuine brand, Kirov - from a man who had a batch in the boot of his car.

It is feared the booze could be from the same bootleg batch which was found on sale across the UK in 2003 - and contained potentially deadly levels of methanol. And Trading Standards chiefs believe a number of bottles could have been sold in the last few weeks.

The methanol in the vodka could lead to stomach pains, drowsiness, blurred vision and even blindness or a coma.

Anybody who drinks it is unlikely to notice a difference from normal vodka until the symptoms appear several hours later.

Tests are being carried out on the alcohol to find out the degree to which it poses a serious risk to health.

The woman who bought the fake vodka suffered from a burning sensation in her mouth and throat when she drank it and passed it to Trading Standards.

All genuine bottles of Kirov vodka have a code applied in black ink on the neck of the bottle or on the cap.

The counterfeit bottles did not have the relevant markings.

Bolton Council's executive member for culture and community services, Cllr Ismail Ibrahim, said: "This is a serious warning and residents should be aware of the potential dangers of drinking this counterfeit vodka.

"We urge anyone who may have bought a bottle not to drink it, but to contact Bolton Trading Standards with any information they may have regarding the source of this vodka."

Anyone who has bought Kirov vodka other than from reputable sources and thinks it may be counterfeit should contact Bolton Trading Standards on 01204 336586.

Anyone who thinks they may have drunk the counterfeit vodka within the last 24 hours should contact their doctor.