Cheetham Hill: Tonnes of fake goods seized in raids repurposed

Police have repurposed about 300 tonnes of counterfeit goods seized from shops masquerading as legitimate businesses.

The items, retrieved from Cheetham Hill and Strangeways in Manchester, have now been recycled for the community.

The work forms part of Operation Vulcan, which has shut down more than 100 fake designer shops in the city.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said there was still a "long way to go" to eradicate criminality from the area.

Operation Vulcan was implemented in November to crack down on counterfeit shops which the force said had "blighted the communities for decades".

GMP said a top priority for the operation was to minimise waste and make sure the counterfeit items could be put to better use.

Working with a specialist company, Lighthouse Security, police have been able to rebrand seized items such as hats, T-shirts and gloves and give them to charities and local community organisations.

Those which are unsuitable or unsafe have been shredded and then reused to create items such as dog bedding or horse blankets.

Packaging and boxes the items are sold in get reused and recycled and can create insulation for houses.

Insp Andy Torkington said: "We are seeing excellent progress in the area, but there is still a long way to go until the criminality is eradicated."

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