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Paddington Bear fake merchandise seized in raids

Kensington & Chelsea Council Piles of see through bags holding white, red and cream books and bags with the words 'Paddington' and 'London' on them and images of Paddington Bear in a blue duffle coat and red hatKensington & Chelsea Council
Magnets, bags, thimbles and spoon rests were among seized items

Counterfeit Paddington Bear merchandise due to be sold at more than £15,000 has been seized in a trading standards crackdown in west London.

Almost 2,000 fakes were confiscated from shops in Notting Hill - where some scenes from the Paddington Bear film franchise were filmed.

Five shops on Earl's Court Road yielded magnets, bags, shot glasses, packs of playing cards, thimbles and spoon rests.

A raid in Portobello Road recovered 1,500 fakes, including tote bags priced at £10 each, according to Kensington and Chelsea Council.

Getty Images Close-up of Paddington Bear's face as he gazes wistfully above the head of the viewer. He is wearing a red hat and blue duffle coatGetty Images
The crackdown came as the latest Paddington Bear film was released
Kensington & Chelsea Council A man holds a stack of three glass shot glasses which have an artistic drawing of paddington bear waving his red hat, as well as Big Ben and Tower Bridge on them. Shelves of shop merchandise can be seen in the backgroundKensington & Chelsea Council
A number of shot glasses were also seized from shops in the west London borough

The council said there had been a sharp rise in illegal sales of counterfeit merchandise in the borough ahead of the release of the latest film in the franchise, Paddington in Peru.

Spokesperson Cem Kemahli said: "Our trading standards team are 'bearing down' and taking swift action against sellers who are undermining legitimate businesses in our borough".

The confiscated goods will be destroyed and the business owners will face formal action, the council added.

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