Chinese police crack down on fake Peppa Pig products

Police in China have raided warehouses, offices and factories in an operation to uncover hundreds of thousands of counterfeit Peppa Pig products.

They seized toothbrushes, shampoo and other children's products bearing the image of the cartoon character.

The raids came in response to complaints by the local agent of British company Entertainment One, which holds the trademark.

The British cartoon character is increasingly popular in China.

The Chinese agent for Entertainment One had spotted the counterfeit products offered on major e-commerce websites and subsequently informed the police.

The raids took place in Yangzhou on 4 November ahead of China's singles' day on 11 November, the country's biggest annual online shopping event.

Police have arrested the head of the company YOUmEILE behind the fake products and investigations are still under way.

On 18 November, the firm released an apology, saying it launched in internal investigation and had pulled all fake products from online shopping site JD.com.

Peppa Pig is a British children's cartoon and has proved increasingly popular in China.

Aside from the success of the actual TV programme, sales of related toys, clothes and home furnishings have also seen a steady rise in the country.