A businessman embroiled in a row with customs officials over the country's first off-shore off-licence is hoping to be back in business at the weekend.

Philip Berriman was today collecting his yacht from Grimsby after a trip overseas to stock up on cut-price cigarettes and alcohol.

He hopes to have the vessel anchored more than 12 miles off the coast of Hartlepool again over the weekend - ready for customers to grab a bargain.

Mr Berriman, 46, from Norton, Stockton, claims the location of the yacht in international trade waters means he can re-sell the goods without prosecution.

Customs and Excise officers have repeatedly stated customers must travel to another country to buy cut-price goods, but Mr Berriman insists a loophole in the law means his venture is legal.

Mr Berriman fell foul of Customs officials last month when they impounded £150,000 of alcohol and cigarettes from his yacht, Rich Harvest, when it came ashore for repairs.

Another of his vessels, Cornish Maiden, had been sailed to Ostend by his crew and was back on the east coast at Grimsby yesterday, and is expected to be back in Hartlepool today.

Mr Berriman, who is hoping to return to the levels of trade which saw him make £10,000 in his first few days, said: "We will definitely be opening again at the weekend."