Counterfeit goods including Chanel perfumes, Nike trainers and Adidas clothing have been seized by trading standard officers at a Peterborough car boot sale.

Shoppers are being urged to stay vigilant after the large quantity of counterfeit goods were discovered at the weekly ‘Bizzy Boot’ sale held in Wellington Street car park last Sunday (August 19).

The items were seized from a number of stalls and included:

• Christian Dior Perfumes

• Chanel Perfumes

• Hugo Boss Perfumes

• Nike Trainers

• Armani Clothing

• Adidas Clothing

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.

Officers say 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.

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.”

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.

Residents who have information on counterfeiting activity can call Citizen Advice on 03454 04 05 06 or can pass on details by emailing trading.standards@peterborough.gov.uk