A COUPLE who were stopped with counterfeit clothes and accessories in their vehicle have each been ordered to do 80 hours of unpaid work.

Robert and Lisa Ravie, of Kenton, Newcastle, were stopped by North Yorkshire police last July as they travelled through the county on their way home after buying the counterfeit clothing in Manchester.

They appeared before magistrates in Northallerton and pleaded guilty to 19 offences of possessing with a view to sale goods bearing unauthorised trademarks.

The police recovered an order list and more than 100 items of fake clothing and footwear from the Ravies’ vehicle, which were passed on to North Yorkshire County Council’s trading standards service.

Items seized included counterfeit Adidas, Converse and Nike trainers; Adidas, Stone Island, Lacoste and Hugo Boss tracksuits; Adidas, Ralph Lauren and Lacoste T-shirts; Ugg boots, Michael Kors sandals and MAC make-up.

Mr Ravie admitted the couple had spent £1,300 on the counterfeit products on the day they were stopped.

He claimed they had bought the items for family and friends - but trading standards officers discovered the couple ran a Facebook group to sell the fakes and also posted items for sale on other Facebook selling groups in the North-East.

As well as the unpaid work each was ordered to pay £888 prosecution costs and £85 victim surcharge. The couple voluntarily surrendered the seized items to trading standards for destruction.

North Yorkshire’s head of business and consumer services, Jo Boutflower, said: “The ability of a business to protect its brand’s reputation through the use of a trademark, and the role of small, local retailers in selling those products, is vital to economic growth and productivity.

“Trading standards officers do all that we can to support and protect legitimate businesses, and I hope this case sends a clear message that firm action will be taken against those who do not trade fairly and lawfully.”