THE man at the centre of a beef-on-the-bone row when the meat was banned from sale during the BSE crisis was back in court yesterday to face charges relating to selling counterfeit drinks.

Publican Christopher Bowman - whose supporters blocked the road outside Harrogate Magistrates' Court before accusations of selling beef-on-the-bone to an undercover trading standards officer were dropped in 2000 - faced seven charges when he appeared at the same court.

Mr Bowman, of the Drovers Inn, Bishop Thornton, near Harrogate, and a company, Drovers Inn (Harrogate), each faced seven counts in a prosecution brought by North Yorkshire County Council's trading standards.

The publican and former rugby league professional faces three charges relating to selling drinks which were not of the brands advertised - Smirnoff Vodka, Lamb's Navy Rum and Stowells of Chelsea Liebfraumilch.

Three more charges allege false labelling and a seventh count claims Mr Bowman failed to give trading standards investigators the address of a former employee.

The company is also accused of selling the three "counterfeit'' drinks and faces three false labelling accusations. It is also charged with publishing a menu containing the description "whole-tail Whitby scampi'' when the seafood did not come from Whitby Seafoods.

No pleas were entered and the case was adjourned until June 14.