Bethany Clarke, a survivor of alcohol poisoning, has joined calls urging holidaymakers to be aware of the dangers of counterfeit and contaminated drinks.
In 2024, a British woman, Simone White, and four other tourists died in Laos after suspected methanol poisoning. Several others, including Ms Clarke, were taken to hospital.
In a renewed effort to raise awareness of the harms of laced drinks, Ms Clarke told ITV News: “You assume that you’re getting the brand you think you’re getting, but unfortunately they can just refill with something completely different.
“The alcohol industry is not regulated in a lot of countries.”
Ms Clarke has started a petition calling for new measures to raise awareness in schools and airports over the dangers of methanol poisoning.
Ms Clarke shared her tips on how to spot the symptoms of methanol poisoning
It comes as a group of MPs wants stronger warnings from the government and the travel industry.
Liberal Democrat MP Tom Morrison is one of 20 MPs now demanding stronger warnings about the potentially lethal risks of bootleg booze on holiday.
He told ITV News: “There aren’t enough warnings. The government has some advice on its website, but it’s not prominent enough.
“We’re not teaching children about this at schools, and I think the travel industry could do a lot more.”
There are official counterfeit alcohol warnings for travellers to the following countries:
- Turkey
- Thailand
- Vietnam
- Costa Rica
- Cambodia
- Fiji
- Indonesia
- Laos
The Foreign Office warns that symptoms may take up to 48 hours to appear. It says: “If you’re feeling very drunk, out of proportion to how much you’ve had, get help”.
ITV News asked the travel agents association whether it could do more to get warnings out.
Emma Brennan of ABTA told us, “We do have specific information on methanol on our website, but we also know it’s really important that people read the official information from the government.
“Our members sell organised travel, a lot of people who are going to these countries affected where this is an issue, are actually backpacking.”
Ms White lost her life unaware of the risks – her friends and family want to make sure there’s far more awareness in future.
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