Trading Standards officers in London have seized 1,400 litres of unofficial holy water but there are fears some may have already gone on sale in places including Leicester. Muslims consider Zamzam water to be sacred and a miraculously generated source of water.

Ealing Council Mohammed Tariq, Ealing’s senior trading standards officer who made the discovery

The source of genuine Zamzam water is a well in Mecca in Saudi Arabia, and many tourists bring small quantities home when they visit the country. However, the fake version of the water is not safe to drink and cannot be sold legally in the UK.

Now there are concerns people are being ripped off with water that is not from the holy site in the Middle East. Trading Standards officers are advising the public not to buy any water labelled as ‘Zamzam water’ because if it is fake, it may pose a risk to health if consumed.

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Council officers received a tip-off that an importer based in the London borough of Ealing had imported a large quantity of fake Zamzam water. A raid took place and more than 280 five-litre bottles were seized, with officers launching an investigation to determine how they arrived into the country.

Zamzam water is sacred within Islam and its provenance is recorded in Islamic texts. According to the Quran, the Prophet Ibrahim, his wife Hagar and their baby son, Ishmael, found water hard to come by after settling in what is now Saudi Arabia.

When Hagar thought Ishmael was dying, she searched for water with no success. After praying, a gush of water appeared under the feet of Ishmael and it has continued to flow from the spot ever since. Today Muslims from all over the world visit the well, believing it to be divinely blessed and full of health benefits.

However, concerns that thousands of bottles are already on sale in Bradford, Leicester and other places with large Muslim communities has been expressed by Trading Standards. The batch discovered by officers is suspected to have arrived in containers from Turkey.

It is to be tested in a laboratory to determine its source and see whether or not it contains toxins that are harmful to the public. The bottles seized would be illegal to sell anyway, not having the required information listed on the labels.

Previous discoveries across the UK have found that unofficial Zamzam water on sale contained poisons, including high levels of arsenic. Ealing officers said some bottles may already have been sold to consumers in shops around the country.

Mohammed Tariq, Ealing Council’s senior trading standards officer who made the discovery, said: “We don’t know how these bottles entered the UK and we obviously don’t know if they contain toxins. But consumers should be aware of the risks of purchasing a product that hasn’t been tested before being put on sale.

“Our concern is that members of our Muslim community may be tempted to buy Zamzam water from street sellers. But people should consider avoiding the drink, until we can establish its source.

“The bottles will be formally examined and an investigation has been launched. What we do know is that the bottles already fail the labelling requirements. There is no information to confirm their source or what ingredients they contain.”

He said anyone who drank Zamzam and started feeling unwell should contact their GP.