Fake DVDs seized at Staffordshire car boot sale

Jul 24 2009 by Justine Halifax, Birmingham Mail

THOUSANDS of fake DVDs, including the new Harry Potter blockbuster, have been seized at a Midland car boot sale by trading standards officers.

The Half-Blood Prince, which is not due to be released on DVD until Christmas, was discovered in a haul of more than 10,000 discs seized as part of a crackdown aimed at driving counterfeiters out of Staffordshire.

Police and trading standards officers swooped on a car boot in Brocton, near Stafford.

The haul also included a number of other recently released DVDs, CDs and the latest games for the Nintendo Wii.

County communities and culutre boss, Coun Ben Adams, said: “The speed which criminal organisations are producing and selling these counterfeit DVDs is staggering.

“By working together closely with the police and planning regular operations such as this latest raid, we’re sending the message out there that selling counterfeit goods in Staffordshire won’t be tolerated.”

Fake goods worth more than £1 million have been seized at car boot sales in the county this year alone – last year the total stood at £1.6 million.

The figure also include fake cigarettes, trainers and hair straighteners.

But with more operations already in the pipeline, police and trading standards officers are vowing to catch more offenders red handed.

Brandon Cook, Staffordshire County Council’s head of community safety, said: “We’re committed to reducing counterfeiting activity in Staffordshire. Trading Standards officers are active at weekends, targeting and prosecuting criminals.”

Other car boot sales where fake DVDs have been seized in recent months include Cocksparrow Lane, Huntington, and Bednall, on the A34 in Stafford.