Police raid Wellesbourne market again seizing £4.2 million of fake goods

This doesn't surprise me. I visit that market regularly. It's mostly very good, on an airfield, with hundreds of stalls. However, with the clamp down on fake goods over the past few years, it has amazed me to be still seeing huge stalls with products like UGG boots and Kath Kidston bags at ridiculous prices. They have been so cheap they've got to have been either fakes or knocked off!



SIX people were arrested and £4.2 million of counterfeit goods were seized during a huge police raid at Wellesbourne market on Saturday. Christmas shoppers looking for a bargain are now being warned about dangerous fake electrical items that could be potentially lethal. Fake GHD hairdryers caught fire when they were tested by Warwickshire Trading Standards, and other electrical items seized at an earlier raid used wiring so thin it put users at risk of electrocution.

Twenty-one police officers took part in Saturday's raid, the second major swoop on Wellesbourne market in the last three months after £3 million of fake goods was seized in September.
Janet Faulkner, Head of Warwickshire Trading Standards said: “This latest joint operation means that we have now seized  over £7m worth of counterfeit clothing, perfumes and electrical items in the past three months.
"We are extremely concerned that someone could be seriously injured or killed by these dangerous fakes.”
Not only do the profits from the sale of counterfeits go to finance other criminal activity and make life harder for legitimate traders, tests done on fakes seized from an earlier raid in September revealed some of the goods to be downright dangerous.
Saturday’s raid took place after legitimate market traders and members of public reported concerns about the ongoing level of criminal activity at the site.
It eclipsed September’s raid in terms of the value of goods seized and items included clothing, perfumes and electrical products with brand names like Adidas, Superdry, and Chanel.
Inspector Lucy Sewell from Warwickshire Police’s Operational Patrol Unit, said: “Counterfeit and copied goods are bad for legitimate businesses, bad for consumers and bad for the economy.”
As well as arresting six people, police also seized £3,000 in cash.
Insp Sewell said: “This is not the first time we have targeted operations at markets.
"This latest action should send out a clear message to all those trading in counterfeit goods that we will catch you and you risk not just losing all your stock, but also your assets such as your house, your car, and possibly your liberty."

http://www.stratford-herald.com/local-news/7526-police-raid-wellesbourne-market-again-seizing-4-2-million-of-fake-goods.html

We used to go buy toys from a market stall my mother and I for Xmas presents .


Electrical goods......well we bought them too, not for the kids.


But we got toys which were cheap....my son loved his knight rider car with flashing lights.


What I'm trying to say is....whats the difference from doing that and doing what is happening today.....money off course and NAME.


They don't want you to pay £10 for a small child to get counterfeit boots, no, they want you to pay £60 for the originals.


Who is going to pay that money for a pair off boots for a 2 year old.....today....unless you live in Essex lol...you MUST not have fakes!!!!

I wouldn't buy aftershave or perfume from markets though.....

kitti wrote:I wouldn't buy aftershave or perfume from markets though.....

I wouldn't buy those things at the market, kitti, but I would and have bought things knowing they must be fakes. A friend bought a pair of "UGG" boots for £10, which she's had for about 3 years and they're good. We've compared them with the genuine ones and they don't look or feel different. They were just a helluva lot cheaper.

I buy things like cling film, baking parchment and Illy coffee at 3 tins for £10. Illy coffee is something like £6.90 in the supermarkets. So, I'll be there this Saturday, seeking out the Chinese woman who sells the Illy coffee to stock up, buy some Christmas wrapping and gift bags and see what I can pick up for the grandsons' stockings!

ETA: I've got a Gucci watch!   My son bought it in Turkey! Five quid!  

Is it a Turkish "Genuine Fake" Anna? They're the best!   

I bet all off us at one time have bought the 'dvd' from the Chinese man..



They used to be everywhere but I havent seen any for a couple off years...


They used to pounce on you as soon as you parked up and got out off the car....

If the real stuff wasn't so stupidly expensive then you wouldn't have so many fakes.Some of these fakes,like handbags,are probably good enough to use and show off.
I wouldn't have a problem buying fakes like clothing designer labels if it looked ok.
I would never buy anything like perfume or beauty products as they could damage your skin you dont know whats in them.
Tempting though it is as i just paid 90 squid for 100ml of Mrs L's favourite perfume which is ridiculous but what can you do !

  

I love Wellesbourne market ...have had many a bargain from there. All the blinds for my windows at a good price. Garden plants ...ending up with a big Pork. apple sauce and stuffing Bap ..so tasty .

Krisy22 wrote:I love Wellesbourne market ...have had many a bargain from there. All the blinds for my windows at a good price. Garden plants ...ending up with a big Pork. apple sauce  and stuffing Bap ..so tasty .  

I've been today! Got a few 500g boxes of Thornton's mis-shaped chocolates at 3 for a fiver! Those are for me to munch! Stocked up with Illy coffee. Got 2 pairs of thermal, fleece-lined socks for a fiver, exactly the same as the ones at Tesco for £6 a pair! Bought a jar of home-made redcurrant jelly for a recipe I saw on telly last week. And best of all, I got the onesie that my grandson wants, the exact one that John Lewis has run out of and saved £5 on it! And I nearly forgot the 2 M&S fluffy covered hot water bottles that M&S charges £10 each for - 2 for £5!

I do love Wellesbourne market!

Hi Anna xx

Some really good bargains there. Was it very busy today ...first time I went there it took me ages to find the car.   

It must be one of the best markets though.

Krisy22 wrote:Hi Anna xx

Some really good bargains there. Was it very busy today ...first time I went there it took me ages to find the car.   

It must be one of the best markets though.

It was heaving today. I always aim to get there early, but never manage! So, when I got there late morning, I was running over people's feet with my shopper on wheels (I bought that specially for the market so that I wouldn't end up with carrier bag hands every time!)

Experience has taught me to make sure I sort out landmarks when I park the car! Today, it was a walk in a direct line from the Sizzling Grill a few hundred yards to the muddy area right at the top! My grandson James (7) likes coming with me to see the planes taking off and landing just over the fence.