Chinese gang refill empty cans of Budweiser with beer from a plastic tub

A TV station in central China has released a video showing a group of workers in a warehouse putting beer into used and recycled Budweiser cans.

The report shown on Hunan Economic Television shows women clearing old Budweiser cans from a cardboard box and then dumping them into a plastic container to refill them with beer.

The cans are then shown being resealed with a canning machine.

Police are later shown inside the warehouse, with crates of beer stacked in the background.

The report does not make clear where the warehouse is or if anybody has been arrested or charged for carrying out the apparent counterfeiting. But the officials in the video can be heard speaking Cantonese, which suggests that they may be from Guangdong province in southern China, where the dialect is spoken.

A customer care employee at the US brand Budweiser in China told the South China Morning Post that the firm was working closely with the police on the case, but it was unable to publicly release any details.

Chinese media regularly report on cases of counterfeit goods and products put on sale on the mainland.

Employees at a restaurant in Zhengzhou in Henan province were arrested last year for selling expensive bottles of liquor, but serving customers with counterfeit bottles.

Some customers at karaoke bars in China opt for canned beers rather than buying spirits, believing there is less chance they will be served fake alcohol.