Fake designer clothing seized from Peterborough car boot sale

On August 19 Trading Standards officers carried out inspections at the ‘Bizzy Boot’ sale, which is held in Wellington Street car park every Sunday.

A number of stalls were found selling counterfeit goods, including Christian Dior Perfumes, Chanel Perfumes, Hugo Boss Perfumes, Nike Trainers, Armani Clothing and Adidas Clothing.

A spokesman for Trading Standards said : "The perfume/aftershave is of particular concern - it is a new style counterfeit product, sold in a 30 - 40 ml atomiser and is often described as ‘Demonstrator’ or ‘Tester’ with the wording ‘Not for retail sale’ written on it. This is a clear attempt to give the item a degree of authenticity when sold cheaply at boot sales or markets.

"These items are predominantly manufactured in Eastern Europe and past examples have been found to be unsafe causing severe skin irritation to the user."

The counterfeit clothing seized will be passed to the Police National Aid Convoy for redistribution to disaster areas over the world and the counterfeit perfume will be destroyed.

Peter Gell, Head of Regulatory Services at Peterborough City Council, said: “People should be aware that by purchasing counterfeit goods you are having a detrimental effect on the livelihoods of legitimate local businesses and their employees.

“You may also be putting yourself at risk as counterfeit products are not subjected to the same health and safety checks as legal items. The sale of counterfeit goods will simply not be tolerated in Peterborough and I would urge anyone with information on this seizure to contact us.”

Investigations into the discovery are still ongoing.

Residents who have information on counterfeiting activity can call Citizen Advice on 03454 04 05 06 or can pass on details by emailing [email protected]