Peterborough Magistrates' Court was told that on the evening of Thursday, March 1, Cambridgeshire Trading Standards officers were carrying out a regular inspection of a number of restaurants, including New Shah Jehan in Park Road, Peterborough.

The officers tested, amongst other things, some of the drinks the restaurant served, using special strips of paper, which could detect alcohol content.

The strips showed that drink from a bottle of Bacardi Carta Blanca Rum, and a bottle of Special Dry London Gin, both of which were advertised as being 37.5 per cent volume, were in fact under that amount.

After being sent off for further tests in London, it was discovered that the rum bottle contained just 72 per cent rum, the remainder being made up of water, meaning the alcoholic content was 10.5 per cent lower than the 37 per cent on the label.

The gin was made up of eight per cent water, and had lost over three per cent of its alcoholic content.

Trading Standards set a limit that the alcoholic content can only vary from that advertised by less than one per cent.

Before the court was Mohammed Saghir (48).

Defending Saghir, Jeremy Roberts, told the court that most of the staff at working at New Shah Jehan were Muslim, and did not drink alcohol.

However, he added that some part time members of staff, who had now left, did drink.

The court was also told that the drinks were bought sealed from a cash and carry, and there was no way they could have been tampered with before they went on sale.

Mr Roberts said: "Saghir has apologised profusely for this. He takes a great pride in his business.

"He is very upset that this happened, and carried out a full investigation after he was caught.

"He has now put in a lockable cabinet for drinks, which only he and the restaurant manager have the key to."

Chair of the magistrates Patricia Willman said she was taking Saghir's guilty plea into account, but fined him £300 for each offence of displaying a food label which was likely to mislead, and also ordered him to pay £720.24 costs.