Counterfeit goods rebranded for charity

Counterfeit goods seized by local trading standards officers have been handed to a charity to be recycled, Powys County Council has said.

The council’s Trading Standards Service has handed over a large quantity of counterfeit items to HIS Church, the Bedfordshire-based charity which will remove logos from the fake or illegal designer clothing and re-brand them with a genuine His Church label.

The items handed over to this charity, which included CDs, clothing, boots, sunglasses and other goods, would command a retail value of over £20,000.

Cllr James Evans, Cabinet Member for Trading Standards, said: “Traders of fake merchandise make money out of someone else’s work and getting these goods off the streets of Powys is an important role of our Trading Standards Service.

“By teaming up with His Church, not only are we protecting consumers, but we are also helping others make use of the items seized.”

Clive Jones, the council’s Professional Lead for Trading Standards, Community Safety and Emergency Planning, said: “We would encourage residents and businesses to provide information to our service about suspect activities in their communities to stop and prevent these crimes.”

PICTURE: Cllr James Evans (left) hands over the counterfeit goods to Richard Humphrey from HIS Church.  Also pictured is Ken Yorston, former Interim Head of Property, Planning and Public Protection.