Counterfeit clothes worth more than £6m seized in Manchester raids

The force said the premises were "dilapidated", rat-infested buildings

Counterfeit clothing worth more than £6m has been seized by police following a series of raids.

Greater Manchester Police said officers had closed down 18 shops in Manchester's Cheetham Hill and Strangeways areas in a two-week period.

It said it found "dilapidated", rat-infested buildings with "dangerous homemade electricity, hidden weapons and [no] proper means of escape".

The force said the seized items would be repurposed or recycled.

Insp Andy Torkington said officers had been "relentlessly targeting these illegitimate shops, but we are aware of the few remaining units who are attempting to operate in the area".

"We will be targeting these premises imminently and our investigations will continue as we seek out and arrest those involved," he said.

GMP officers raided 18 shops during a two-week period as part of an ongoing operation

He said the force was "seeing excellent progress in the area" and the feedback from the public had been "overwhelmingly supportive, but there is still more to be done".

He said the latest raids were part of "five months of relentless action", but "criminality" had been embedded in the area "for decades" so more needed to be done.

However, he added that the recent results showed "great strides in the right direction".

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