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London bar raided over 'whale skin on sale' Bar in Hackney raided over whale skin-infused cocktail
(about 3 hours later)
A cocktail bar in east London has been raided by police following accusations that it was selling items with whale skin in them, police said. A cocktail bar in east London has been raided by police after it sold a drink containing whale skin.
The bar in City Road, Hackney, believed to be Nightjar, was visited by officers on 3 December after the allegation was made in October. Bar Nightjar in City Road, Hackney, was visited by officers on 3 December after an allegation was made in October.
The Metropolitan Police (Met) said it had seized one item which has now been sent for analysis. The bar said it used to serve a drink, called Moby Dick, which had "a small amount of whisky infused with a single 2[cm] x 5cm strip of dried whale skin".
No arrests have been made following the allegations. Under EU law, there is a ban on the hunting and trading of cetaceans such as whales and dolphins.
A statement from the Met said: "We received an allegation in October 2012 that whale skin was being sold at a premises in City Road, Hackney. Police have seized the bottle of whisky for testing, but no arrests have been made,
"The warrant was executed by officers from the Met's Wildlife Crime Unit assisted by an officer from the United Kingdom Border Force. 'Purchased in Japan'
"One item from the premises was seized." A statement from Bar Nightjar said: "We did have a drink on this year's menu which included a small amount of scotch whisky infused with a single 2 x 5cm strip of dried whale skin.
The BBC has tried to contact the bar believed to be involved and is waiting for a response. "The strip was purchased in a shop by an employee while on a trip to Japan in autumn 2011."
In the EU, all cetaceans - such as whales and dolphins - are protected by law, including against hunting, capture, captivity, and deliberate disturbance or trading, including cetacean products originating from third countries. The bar added that until the police arrived it had not been aware of the legislation, and the drink has been removed from its menu.
Only Norway and Iceland are not bound by this. It said it was also going to train staff and ensure that "all ingredients on our menu are responsibly sourced".
"In hindsight we realise that regardless of the legal framework around such products, it was an error of judgement on our part to include this on our menu, and we would like to offer our apologies to anyone who may have been offended by it."