LONDON: Customs officers have visited two South Tyneside premises and seized more than 20,000 litres of beer on suspicion of brewing without a licence.
Officers from Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) moved in on The Maltings in Claypath Lane, South Shields, this morning.
They were seen to enter the premises shortly before lunch time with clipboards examining beer barrels.
HMRC also confirmed its officers had raided premises in Jarrow and seized beer under Section 139 of the Customs and Excise Management Act 1979, which relates to brewing without a licence.
Officers seized 14,760 litres of beer from a tanker at Jarrow, along with 24 nine-gallon kegs, one 18-gallon keg, and 64 30-litres kegs of beer.
From The Maltings, 6.668 litres of beer were seized, as well as 33 nine-gallon kegs of beer.
An HMRC spokesman said: “Beer Duty is chargeable on certain types of beer if their strength is more than 1.2% alcohol by volume and beer is liable for Beer Duty as soon as it’s produced.
“HMRC is committed to ensuring that individuals and businesses operate within the parameters of the law when it comes to the production and packaging of beer.”
Lewis Harvey, head brewer and director at Jarrow Breweries Ltd, said the incident was not a raid but an “organised visit to dispose of beer that was out of date due to a technical issue regarding the licenses of the Maltings and Bede Trading Estate breweries”.
He added: “Jarrow Breweries are currently not brewing and have not brewed since mid-June 2015 in agreement with HMRC, whilst they await for their new registration to be approved.”
