TRADING standards officers today declared they are winning the war on the illegal trade of thousands of dodgy DVDs and CDs.Officers have swooped on car boot sales across the county, targeting traders pushing the substandard goods.
TRADING standards officers today declared they are winning the war on the illegal trade of thousands of dodgy DVDs and CDs.
Officers have swooped on car boot sales across the county, targeting traders pushing the substandard goods.
Almost 2,000 discs have been seized in a prolonged campaign against the counterfeits.
Suffolk County Council's trading standards team joined Suffolk Police in seizing more than a thousand counterfeit CDs and DVDs, including some containing pornography, at a car boot sale in Beccles in July. The raid led to three arrests.
That haul closely followed the prosecution of Douglas Shaw, 25, of Cherry Tree Rise, Essex, for selling counterfeit DVDs at a car boot sale in Needham Lakes.
The case came to court after a series of similar raids undertaken across Suffolk last year as part of the council's summer campaign against the illegal trade.
Magistrates at Bury St Edmunds are due to sentence Shaw on August 26.
Trading standards officers carried out a second series of undercover visits at the weekend after advising car boot organisers about the problem and found there were no counterfeit items on sale.
Cllr Joanna Spicer said: "This crackdown has resulted in a large amount of counterfeit items being seized.
"Remember that the people selling these goods are not loveable rogues but criminals who often operate on a wide scale damaging our economy locally.
"Everyone loves a bargain but it is important to remember that not all bargains are as good as they might seem. As a consumer, you have no comeback for items you bought at a car boot sale if they go wrong, are illegal or unsafe."
Despite the success in clearing car boot sales of the counterfeits, the council warned it would continue to conduct raids and undercover operations to ensure they did not return.
Anyone wanting to report problems related to counterfeiting should contact Consumer Direct on 08454 04 05 06.
Weblink: www.suffolkcc.gov.uk
N Have you been stung by the illegal trade of counterfeit DVDs and CDs? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk
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