Residents of Solomon's Avenue apartment complex in Chalakudy town of Thrissur were in for a surprise when they noticed brownish water with an unmistakable smell gushing out of their kitchen taps a few days ago.

On further inquiry, they found that they literally had beer, brandy and rum running through the kitchen taps, a Times of India report read. The residents then approached the municipality authorities, who traced the 'hiccup' to an excise department operation in the area a few days earlier. The report said the excise department had dumped more than 4,500 litres of liquor that it had seized into a pit. It was unaware that most of it would flow into a nearby well, which is the main source of water for the residents of Solomon Apartments. Joshy Maliyekkal, who resides in the building, first spotted brownish water coming from the taps and thought it was the result of a rusted pipe.