A FORMER licensee has been ordered to pay fines of £200 and costs of £587 after pleading guilty to displaying and selling substituted alcohol labelled as Gordon's Special Dry Gin and Smirnoff Vodka.

Malcolm James Meikleham, 62, formerly of the Kettledrum Inn, Mereclough, Cliviger, who now lives in Stockport, did not appear before magistrates at Reedley Court to hear his sentencing but submitted a letter in his absence stating that he was pleading guilty because he did not want to take up any more court time.

Nick McNamara, prosecuting on behalf of Lancashire Trading Standards, told the court that trading standard officers had gone to the pub, in Red Lees Road, on May 17 last year in response to some complaints.

They saw the branded spirits on display behind the bar and took samples from them.

Some of the samples were taken away for analysis and when compared to the genuine article it was discovered that two bottles -- labelled Gordon's Special Dry Gin and Smirnoff Vodka -- had the same alcohol content as the real articles but had lower levels of sugar, glucose and fructrose.

The magistrates said they believed Meikleham had deliberately tried to deceive the public.

They said it was 'a serious breach of regulations resulting in commercial gain'.

He was fined £100 for each offence.