Trafford Council has removed a huge haul of 4,000 counterfeit football shirts, short and socks from being offered for sale illegally, after items were recovered from an address in Altrincham.
The cache included replica kit items for Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool and England, including older items from previous seasons.
The clothing was recovered by Merseyside Police officers, who were visiting the house for other reasons. It was then passed on to Trafford Council’s Trading Standards team.
The Council staged an ‘early forfeiture’, a legal seizure and sometimes destruction of goods considered counterfeit or dangerous.
Manchester Magistrates granted the order for the kit – which had been stored for several months – to be disposed of, at a hearing on Thursday 2 April.
The court heard no one came forward to collect the items, though the Council sent correspondence to the house where they were found, to no response.
Anyone claiming ownership of the kit could have objected to the forfeiture – but would have also risked a prosecution from the Council’s Trading Standards team, as the enforcement authority responsible for dealing with counterfeit goods offences.
Cllr Keleigh Glenton, Trafford Council’s Executive Member for Community Safety and Civil Contingencies said:
“We are pleased to have removed these counterfeit items from potential sale in Trafford and beyond and our thanks go to our partners at Merseyside Police and Manchester Magistrates Court for working with the Council to take this fake kit out of circulation.
“Our Trading Standards team works hard to protect the public, who may unwittingly end up with inferior goods, as well as the legitimate brands, manufacturers and retailers with the relevant copyrights, who follow trading rules and uphold standards at each stage in the supply chain.”