Suspected fake goods raided from a Thornton-Cleveleys car boot sale
More than 800 suspected fake items have been seized from Norcross Car Boot Sale, Thornton-Cleveleys, by Lancashire County Council.
Trading standards officers joined forces with the police to carry out the raid on Sunday 29 May 2022, seizing goods suspected to be counterfeit from three stalls.
The raid followed a tip-off from a member of the public, who alerted trading standards after spotting these goods at the car boot sale.
Goods seized included handbags, belts, jewellery, sunglasses, T-shirts, hoodies, tracksuits and trainers.
Brands included suspected copies of Versace, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Cartier, Ray Ban, Nike, Adidas, Under Armour, Hugo Boss, North Face and Canada Goose.
Selling, or having counterfeit items in possession for sale, is a criminal offence under the Trade Marks Act 1994. Investigations are continuing.
County councillor Michael Green, cabinet member for health and wellbeing, said: "More than 800 goods were seized at Norcross. That's quite a large haul and I commend our trading standards team for their achievement.
"Selling fake goods is illegal, and this case proves we are not afraid to use our powers to seize any suspected counterfeit items and work with the police to carry out investigations.
“We want to see a level playing field for honest Lancashire retailers and stall holders who sell genuine goods, particularly in today's tough economic climate.
"Protecting legitimate retailers by removing illegal operators from the marketplace is a key part of our plans.
"Consumer wellbeing is also a major concern and protecting the residents of Lancashire is important for us. With fake goods, we have no guarantee that the products will work properly, are of good quality, will last or most importantly, that they will be safe to use.
"If you suspect fake goods are being sold, please report them to our trading standards service via our Citizen's Advice Consumer Helpline."
Anyone wanting to contact Lancashire Trading Standards for advice, or to report an illegal sale, should call the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 0808 223 1133.