Pornography and counterfeit goods seized from car boot sale

Shropshire County Council’s Trading Standards Service, in partnership with officers from West Mercia Police and customs and excise (HMRC) targeted Worfield car boot sale near Bridgnorth at the weekend (10 and 11 May 2008).

Assistance from the Shrewbury based Road Policing Support Team and the Local Policing Unit from Bridgnorth enabled four arrests to be made in addition to the seizure of a quantity of goods.

Officers seized in the region of 200 illegal pornographic DVDs together with around 30 music CDs and items of clothing, footwear and watches, all of which are believed to be counterfeit.

Amongst the brand names being faked were Nike and Pierre Cardin, as well as illegal use of trade marks for several premier league football clubs including Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Birmingham City.

Customs officers also seized around 100 packets of tobacco as part of their tax evasion investigation work.

Frances Darling, Shropshire County Council’s enforcement team manager for Trading Standards, said: “Through the seizures and the subsequent investigations that are now underway, we are sending a very clear message to sellers that we will not tolerate the sale of counterfeit goods or illegal pornographic material in Shropshire. These goods undermine both the local and national economy and may be linked to serious crime such as people trafficking, money laundering, organised terrorism and drugs. I urge consumers to think about these issues before buying such goods.

“Whilst we have seen a significant improvement in the county as a whole, it is a worrying that there has been a reappearance of illegal pornographic material. We also remain concerned that counterfeit merchandise continues to surface at car boot sales including those around Worfield. The service is committed to tackling these problems and it is our intention to carry out further joint enforcement initiatives to target illegal activity at car boot sales and markets across the county.”

John Hurst-Knight, Shropshire County Councillor for waste and economy, added: “There is a great temptation to buy counterfeit goods as they are invariably cheaper than the genuine products. However, consumers run the risk of buying poor quality goods that lead to disappointment. The sale of pornographic material is tightly regulated for obvious reasons and to find it being sold in the open is shocking, particularly as it may get into the hands of children.”

12 May 2008