Police free 30 shoppers from Manchester fake goods store lock-in

Det Supt Neil Blackwood said the shoppers were "trapped inside a building that was structurally unsound"

Thirty people have been rescued from a shop selling counterfeit goods after they were locked inside by a worker who ran off because police officers had been seen nearby, a force has said.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said officers broke into the Cheetham Hill shop after cries for help from inside.

The force said a subsequent search of the building uncovered a "rabbit warren" of rooms filled with goods.

About 60 tonnes of clothes, watches and electronics were seized by officers.

Police found a "rabbit warren" of rooms selling counterfeit designer clothes, watches and electronics

A GMP representative said one of the workers in the shop had been tipped off to the presence of police in the area on 6 December by "spotters [the name given to] people who are paid to keep watch and alert illegitimate business owners".

"This person had then locked the business and made good his escape, leaving members of the public trapped inside," they said.

They added that on rescuing the "startled group, officers found an elderly lady among them who had a broken arm and needed assistance getting down the steep and narrow flight of stairs towards the exit".

After helping those inside, it took the force more than five days to catalogue and seize all the items in the store.

About 60 tonnes of clothes, watches and electronics were seized by officers

Det Supt Neil Blackwood said officers had to "force their way in and safeguard the individuals", as the shoppers were "trapped inside a building that was structurally unsound [and] utterly unsafe".

"I appreciate that at Christmas time, everyone wants to find a bargain, but by going to these illegal shops... consumers are not only funding criminality, they are also putting themselves in very real danger," he added.