Fake sports goods seized in raid on shop

TENS of thousands of pounds worth of fake trainers and sportswear has been flooding on to the streets of East Lancashire.

Trading standards officials said they had taken major steps towards tackling the racket after a raid on a Blackburn store and a court case involving a market trader.

Yesterday, in an unconnected court case, market trader Iqbal Hussain Patel, 45, of Charlotte Street, Blackburn, was given a six month suspended jail term for selling fake Nike and Lacoste trainers

valued at 30,000 at a car boot sale in Clitheroe.

Patel was caught on three occasions selling fake trainers at Clitheroe Auction Mart and consumer watchdogs said he was not alone.

Trading standards watchdogs said the prosecution showed that rogue traders were not "lovable rogues", like TV's Del Boy from Only Fools and Horses, but persistent offenders.

East Lancashire has a reputation as one of the Nike Free 3.0 V3 Herr counterfeit capitals of the north west.

The trainers when genuine can fetch 170 per per pair on the high street.

Chris Allen, head of Blackburn with Darwen council's trading standards department, said: "Normally we'd expect to find a few counterfeit items mixed in with genuine stock but all the stock in the

Bank Top shop was counterfeit.

"We returned with the police and seized 287 items. It is the first time we have seized a shop's entire stock."

One neighbouring shop worker who witnessed the raid said: "There was a woman laying on top of bags of clothing, crying, saying 'don't take it away'".

The goods seized Air Presto Herr are thought to have been imported from abroad.

Last night police carried out a second raid on the shop after further reports that fake goods were being sold from the site.

Hyndburn magistrates were told that in the case of Iqbal Patel, the items which were mostly branded with Nike and Lacoste logos.

More than 280 pairs of trainers were seized from him in December 2006, he was caught out again the following June and in July 139 pairs of Nike trainers were seized.

Nick McNamara, prosecuting, said Patel sold Nike Air Max Plus trainers which should cost 110 for just 30. The value of the Nike trainers seized in the three raids was over 22,000. Lacoste

trainers seized were worth around 10,000.

Patel pleaded guilty to three charges under the Trademark Act. Nike Free Rea He was also given a 12 month supervision order and 100 hours of community service with 453 costs.

Mr McNamara said: "When interviewed Patel told officers that he had bought the stock from two men from Birmingham for 2,500.

"He said that it had occurred to him that the shoes might be counterfeit or even stolen but he said that it was none of his business why they were so cheap."

Jim Potts, head of Lancashire County Council trading standards, said: "There used to be a lot of romanticism about counterfeiters that they were Del Boy characters and lovable rogues. "In

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