£330,000 worth of counterfeit trainers to be recycled in North Lincolnshire

On May 18 the Border Force at Humber Sea Terminal stopped two Latvian registered self-drive lorries.

Officers from North Lincolnshire Trading Standards attended and upon their first examination of the vehicles it was clear that a large quantity of trainers in each lorry had been deliberately hidden behind other non-branded footwear.

Each lorry held over 5,500 pairs of counterfeit ‘Nike Air Max 90’ trainers, with a street value of £30 a pair – a total of around £330,000.

A representative sample of the seized trainers was sent to Nike and they confirmed that they are counterfeit.

The paperwork provided by the drivers showed that both deliveries were destined for a logistics company in Dublin, but this information was false.

No-one has come forward to claim responsibility of the trainers. Therefore Trading Standards obtained a court order for their destruction.

Nike has agreed to collect the trainers and recycle them where possible.

Councillor Neil Poole, cabinet member for neighbourhoods, said: “It is astonishing that people think it is acceptable to smuggle counterfeit goods into our country. The Border Force continuously monitors all vehicles going in and out of the country, so it is only a matter of time before they get caught. Our Trading Standards officers do a fantastic job of protecting genuine business by creating a level playing field and consumers who may be misled into buying counterfeit goods on a daily basis. Counterfeit goods can have a detrimental effect on the local economy.”