Residents shopping for Christmas gifts have been told to keep an eye out for fake goods following the recent seizure of more than 3,000 fake designer carpets and rugs being branded as Chanel, Versace and Louis Vuitton.
Following the haul by Ealing Council trading standards officers, residents are being asked to be on alert when they go shopping.
Councillor Bassam Mahfouz, the council’s cabinet member for decent living incomes said: “As Christmas approaches and the cost-of-living crunches, I know people will be looking to bag a bargain, but if you see something looks too good to be true… it almost certainly is.”
Councillor Mahfouz added: “It’s a perfect time to go out and spend your money locally with responsible businesses and please do shop local where you can. But let me send a clear message to those who want to exploit local residents with fake goods: your angry customers will shop you in, then we will find you and the courts could fine you. Huge thanks to our fantastic trading standards team for their action in this recent high-profile case.”
Mohammed Tariq, senior trading standards officer at the council, added: “Money raised from selling counterfeit goods is often used to fund criminal activities and linked to organised crime such as modern-day slavery, drugs and child labour. Traders selling counterfeit goods undermine genuine trade and businesses and do no good to the UK economy. We will continue to work tirelessly to protect the public from being scammed by rogue traders and will not hesitate in prosecuting anyone selling illegal items as part of our commitment to making a Ealing safer place.”
Residents are asked to report businesses they have concerns about by emailing: tradingstandards@ealing.gov.uk
