Shropshire Council’s Trading Standards officers are warning consumers and shopkeepers to avoid a sham hand sanitiser recently found on sale in the county, as it will not protect them from the coronavirus.

Since the emergence of the coronavirus pandemic, Public Health England had advised that to be effective, hand sanitisers need to contain at least 60 per cent alcohol. A product recently being sold in Shropshire was found to contain as little as 11.7 per cent, despite being labelled to show a 70 per cent concentration.

The product, found so far in blue and clear liquid forms, is being sold in 250ml bottles in the name of Miss Life Ltd. Neither that company nor the marked postcode on the bottle exist. The blue liquid was found to contain 37 per cent alcohol and the clear just 11.7 per cent. They were also selling for between £7 and £10.

Members of the public are being warned to stop using the product immediately and report where and when they bought it from to Trading Standards through the Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 0808 223 1133 or 0808 223 1144 for Welsh speakers. Shopkeepers are also warned to stop selling it immediately and to urgently report to Trading Standards who they acquired it from.