Goods worth £2500 seized at car boot sale

The goods were seized at a car boot sale

Trading standards officers have seized illegal vapes as well as about £2,500 worth of counterfeit clothes at a car boot sale.

Officers from Public Protection Partnership (PPP) seized approximately 480 garments when they visited a car boot sale in Wokingham, Berkshire, on Sunday.

They also seized disposable vapes from another trader that exceeded the liquid size permitted by the Tobacco and Related Product Regulations 2016.

Councillor Jordan Montgomery said fake products "may seem harmless" but were often sold by organised criminal networks, and urged shoppers to remain vigilant.

It is estimated that counterfeiting costs the UK economy around £9b every year.

Counterfeit items can flood the market and reduce demand for genuine items, and counterfeiters often pay poor wages and may use forced labour.

The profits from counterfeiting sales have been linked to funding organised crime and drug trafficking, PPP said.

Disposable vapes should not contain more than 2ml of nicotine-containing liquid

PPP is a trading standards service shared between Wokingham, West Berkshire and Bracknell Forest.

The garments, which were from a number of well-known brands, were seized under the Consumer Rights Act.

The seized vapes contained up to 18ml of nicotine-containing liquid, when only 2ml is allowed under the Tobacco and Related Product Regulations 2016.

The regulations limit the tank capacity to ensure they are used responsibly and to protect users from excessive nicotine intake.

Mr Montgomery said counterfeit goods were often "inferior quality, but more importantly can be harmful to users themselves".

"We will continue to work with the public, brand holders and event organisers to ensure that we stop these illegal business practices," he said.

"The sale of these items is not only damaging to the brand owners but also to legitimate local businesses who are trading fairly."