Customs seize floating off-licence

Phil Berriman was selling alcohol and cigarettes at duty-free prices from his 72ft-schooner, Rich Harvest, anchored 13 miles from shore.

Customers had to sail out into the North Sea but once aboard Rich Harvest could buy leading brands of cigarettes and spirits for a fraction of the mainland shop price.

Despite warnings from Custom and Excise officers, Mr Berriman said his scheme was legal.

However, his operation, which was making about 10,000 a week, hit the rocks spectacularly at the weekend when Customs detained his yacht and all its contents. A spokesman said yesterday: "The vessel Rich Harvest was detained by Customs at Hartlepool yesterday along with a quantity of excise goods stored on board.

"The detained excise goods have today been removed by Customs in the belief that they are neither declared nor duty paid.

"Customs will make additional inquiries before any further action is taken."

Speaking several days ago, Mr Berriman, 46, said he had been doing a brisk business until the bad weather took hold. He was averaging about eight customers a day and even had a night-time visit from a jet ski rider.

Mr Berriman, of Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, sailed to Germany to buy 5,000 boxes of 200 cigarettes and 1,000 litres of spirits. When they were sold he had planned to make another trip to the continent to restock.

He and his business partner, Trevor Lyons, 53, a marine law expert from Staffordshire, were anchored off the coast of Hartlepool. They distributed leaflets to fishermen and boat clubs giving the yacht’s co-ordinates and hoped to make up to 20,000 a week from the enterprise.

Last night, Mr Berriman described the move by Customs as "intimidation" and "harassment".

He said officers had confiscated about 800,000 cigarettes and 800 litres of spirits, worth and estimated 150,000.

Mr Berriman said the Customs tactic was just a "stalling measure" in order to change the law banning his enterprise.

His yacht had been in Hartlepool harbour because of the bad weather when officers detained the vessel as he was preparing to leave on Saturday.

He said: "They could not tell us under what law they were seizing the stock. Then they came back on later this afternoon and said something like the goods weren’t tax paid and haven’t been declared."

He said: "I never thought they would do something that was blatantly illegal but as far as I’m concerned it is a propaganda, political-type thing.

"What they are trying to do is send a message to other people. Regardless of the law, they don’t want to let this continue. It is intimidation and harassment."

Mr Berriman said he was determined to get his stock back and vowed to drag Customs and Excise through the courts if necessary.