Holiday makers in Bali are facing a rather sober stay after the government seized thousands of bottles of spirits from the island’s top hotels, restaurants and bars. The raids were carried out in popular tourist areas such as Kuta and Nusa Dua as part of a customs crackdown on counterfeit tax labels.

Tourism chiefs now fear the alcohol shortage will deter tourists from visiting Bali during what is traditionally the high season. Ida Bagus Subhiksu, head of the Bali Tourism Board said: “We asked the customs office to stop the process and if they have to do something, please continue it later on, after the high season.”

It is also feared that the shortage of branded drinks will tempt people to try the local rice wine – known as arak – instead. At least 26 people, including two British tourists, were killed in Bali and nearby Lombok by drinking the home-made spirit, which was tainted with methanol.

Expat Alan Colen, 59, who had lived on the holiday island for 13 years, died after buying a bottle of the wine from a roadside stall hear his home in Canggu, North Kuta. A post-mortem showed high levels of concentrations of methanol in Mr Colen’s blood.

Fellow Briton Rose Johnson, 48, also died after drinking from the same batch of poisoned arak. The successful painter, who was based in Phoenix, Arizona, was on holiday on the island at the time.