Police seize 26 pallets of illegal wine

An uninsured lorry carrying around 21,000 bottles of wine was stopped and its contents seized by police in south London on Tuesday.

Actual lorry not pictured.

Twenty-six pallets of wine, estimated to be worth around £350,000, have been impounded following the incident in Bexley on Tuesday, 10 February.

Enquiries revealed that no duty had been paid on the wine carried by the lorry, registered in Ireland, which was also uninsured and had broken brake lights.

Chief Inspector Andy Johnstone from the MPS Traffic Unit said: “The South East Traffic Unit stop commercial vehicles and lorries that are coming into the capital every day, to ensure that traffic laws are complied with, to check on the condition and safety of the vehicle and to ensure drivers are not exceeding their hours and posing a risk to other road users.

“We also work closely with the HMRC to identify goods being brought into the UK illegally.”

The driver of the HGV was released without charge while police carry out enquiries.