A CRACKDOWN on counterfeit items in Gloucestershire has resulted in £4,000 of fake merchandise being seized including some from a Cirencester businesses.

Gloucestershire County Council trading standards officers executed several warrants across the county to take potentially dangerous items out of circulation and protect people from buying and receiving faulty Christmas presents.

Officers seized products with a street value of £4,000 from a stall at a local car boot sale including fake Chanel and Dolce & Gabbana perfume, Superdry and Adidas clothing, football shirts and Nike trainers.

They have also taken counterfeit battery powered Pedi Pro pedicure appliances from an internet business based in Cirencester, are investigating an eBay user selling counterfeit clothing and 3,000 cosmetic products have been suspended from sales until safety testing has been carried out.

The fake pedicure appliances, as well as being potentially unsafe, were being sold on the internet for a higher price than the genuine item, making it difficult for people to judge whether they are genuine. 

Counterfeit perfumes are untested and have unknown ingredients which could cause health problems and there have been several claims about the cosmetics which are being investigated.

Eddie Coventry, head of Gloucestershire trading standards, said: “There is always a concern where we find fake electrical or battery powered items as they are not likely to have been tested against appropriate safety standards. 

“Despite this, such items will typically be marked with the CE mark in an attempt to make them look genuine. Consumers can have no confidence that these fake products are safe. 

Cllr Will Windsor Clive, cabinet member for trading standards, said: “Criminals will use this time of year to attempt to sell fake products to people looking to buy Christmas presents for their friends and family.

“This work by our trading standards team is vital and I’m glad that we have been able to seize a number of potentially dangerous items in recent days. We will continue to stay vigilant in order to protect people in Gloucestershire.”

Trading Standards Institute (TSI) chief executive Leon Livermore, said: "Trading standards officers are on the frontline of consumer protection, working hard to remove from the market place the poorly made concoctions of criminals out to make a quick buck at the expense of honest traders and the safety of shoppers.”

If anyone has concerns about products they have bought they should notify trading standards via the citizens advice consumer helpline on 03454 04 05 06.