Twelve people left locked inside Manchester bogus goods shop

Three men have been arrested after 12 people including a young child were locked inside a shop during a police crackdown on fake goods in Manchester.

They were left trapped inside the store on Moulton Street, Strangeways, as the shopkeepers ran off with the keys to try to escape.

The shutters had been disabled and police had to break them down.

The men were held on suspicion of false imprisonment and trademark offences, Greater Manchester Police said.

A spokesman said officers also detained a "spotter" who had alerted the shopkeepers to the police presence during Friday's afternoon's raid.

Insp Andrew Torkington said: "This was a dangerous and unsettling situation we encountered.

"Had we not been able to get inside the shop, who knows how long the members of the public would have been stuck inside before the owners braved returning."

The raid was part of Operation Vulcan, which is targeting fake designer goods and crime in Cheetham Hill and Strangeways.

Police said the illegal trade is estimated to be worth £8.6bn per year with the notorious Manchester area linked to almost half of that sum.

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