Now Durham police declare war on… Aldi Gin and Tonic crisps

Won’t somebody think of the children?


The notorious Alcohol Harm Cop recently kicked off on her Twitter about Aldi selling crisps flavoured like Gin and Tonic. 

Ranked the best police force in the country, Her Majesty’s finest have thoroughly outdone themselves this week by cracking down on alcohol in every possible way, including Aldi nibbles.

PC Claire McNaney expressed her frowning disapproval at the discount supermarket’s Gin and Tonic flavoured snack.

The Durham police officer who works within the Alcohol Harm Reduction Unit, shared a picture of the snack, tweeting “Totally irresponsible product @AldiUK, what kind of message does this give out to people, especially children?”

The hardline tweet ranks alongside other tough measures taken by the police regarding alcohol in the last year. Last year the police introduced a £90 fine for drinking in public alongside banning the Quaddie – dubbed a “war on Klute.”

Twitter users were quick to ridicule the officer: “Absolute busybody fun sponge, get a grip. The Empire was built on gin; character building stuff.”

Another tweeted back: “You’ll be trying to ban wine gums for kids next.”

Aldi also replied to her tweet with the rather generic: “We’re very sorry to hear you feel this way, and we’ll be sure to pass your feedback onto the relevant department.”

They added that the crisps were in fact part of a Christmas range which also includes a “Red wine and Thyme” flavour.


In a statement the Durham Constabulary said: “Our officer was trying to highlight how alcohol is used to sell everyday products. The alcohol harm reduction unit addresses the harm caused by people not drinking responsibly and often tweet to raise awareness of alcohol-related issues.”

Let’s hope Durham students aren’t targeted by police for popping open too many bags of “hand-cooked” crisps this winter.