Fake Moet factory is shut down

TRADING STANDARDS officers shut down an illicit factory producing fake Moet & Chandon champagne in Leeds, it was disclosed yesterday. Officials raided the factory, which was used to label cheap sparkling wine as the famous drink, last week.

But they believe that thousands of bottles, packaged and boxed to look almost identical to the genuine article, have already been distributed across the region, in preparation for millennium celebrations. However, there are two signs that the bottles are fake: the red seal on the neck is noticeably lighter than the genuine article and the name "Moet" is shoddily reproduced on the foil around the top of the bottle.

Gordon Gresty of trading standards said: "It is vital that businesses check their stocks and make sure they are absolutely certain of the product before it is sold."

One man was arrested.