£30,000 of dodgy goods seized from Barking and Dagenham markets

About £30,000 of dodgy goods have been seized from Barking and Dagenham markets in the run-up to Christmas.

The stash, which included dangerous toys and illegal alcohol, clothing and headphones, was taken by the council’s Trading Standards team.

Checks formed part of Operation Condor, an annual joint police and council inspection of licensed properties including clubs, gambling shops and tobacco sellers.

Most of the toys had not gone through standard safety checks and were without the required British Standards Kitemark.

The alcohol, bags and clothing items were all banned imitations of questionable quality.

Cllr Jeanne Alexander, cabinet member for crime, justice and communities, said: “At this time of year budgets are often tight, and everyone is out there looking for a bargain.

“Shoppers should be able to trust that the goods they buy are safe and genuine products. This is where our Trading Standards team comes in.

“Traders who deal in counterfeit goods are playing a foolish game, because they will lose their stock and end up with a potential fine or court appearance.

“The message to shoppers is, be on the lookout for goods which don’t look like the original article. If a bargain looks too good to be true, it probably is.”

A number of the borough’s pubs and off-licences also received visits from inspectors checking for fake spirits, watered-down alcohol, half measures and other crooked practices.

All the buildings involved passed their tests so letters of congratulations were sent to the respective licence holders.

The operation also covers noise and nuisance teams supporting the police on joint-rounds, and enforcement officers stopping vehicles to check for unlicensed scrap metal.