Officials seized £4 million worth of counterfeit goods last year.

Airport news for Flights,Travel on 10/06/2010.

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Officers of the UK’s Border Agency last year seized fake products with an estimated retail value of £4 million at East Midlands Airports. The kinds of products seized cover a variety of product types and production qualities but the costs to both consumers and the government are real.

Officials said computer games and hair straighteners were the most commonly-found items. They point out that pirated products can be dangerous for consumers. Cheaply-made products that fail to comply with safety standards can be harmful to the health of users.

The production and distribution of counterfeit products, as well as the proceeds from their sale can support organized crime. Furthermore, the cost to the country in terms of lost tax revenues is huge. The Exchequer is estimated to lose something in the region of £550 million every year. That cost is inevitably born by the tax payer.

Most counterfeit products are bound for sale at boot sales or via the internet. Border Agency officers say seizures at East Midlands Airport in 2009 were up 100 per cent from the year before.

With the cost of the global recession hitting people’s wallets, many are eager to enjoy the low prices often associated with pirated products. However, experts warn that the old rule still applies. If something seems to cheap to be true, it probably is.

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