Fake designer clothes are seized

Trading standards teams found a range of designer clothes on sale

Trading standards officers are warning about fake designer clothes after they seized goods worth £1,500 in Fife.

Officers carried out a swoop at the Burntisland Highland Games and found counterfeit Armani, Diesel, Dolce and Gabanna, Burberry and Lacoste items.

Several market traders were given verbal warnings for selling fake goods and a report is being sent to the procurator fiscal.

Officers are warning people to be wary of clothes being sold on market stalls.

John Geddes, of Fife Council, said: "We would urge the public to be vigilant and not to buy these items, which are often of a significantly inferior quality and can even be unsafe.

"Counterfeiting is certainly not the victimless crime that some perceive it to be. At a more serious level criminal gangs can make millions of pounds by flooding the market with fake goods and the profits can be used to fund film piracy, drug and weapon trafficking and even the smuggling of illegal immigrants.

"These goods also cause significant financial loss to the genuine trademark holders."