AN internet trader has paid the price for flogging fake designer goods.

Counterfeit goods were found at the home of Alexander Burton Bolton after the 33-year-old prompted suspicion by selling fake GHD hair straighteners to an undercover investigator.

A search of the 33-year-old’s Billingham home and his vehicles led to Trading Standards officers seizing fake goods including a counterfeit Nike England football shirt, a pair of Nike trainers, Lacoste and Ralph Lauren t-shirts.

An order book showing numerous sales across the Tees Valley was also uncovered by investigators.

Despite receiving a written warning in July 2015, Bolton had continued to advertise fake goods on Facebook, a Stockton Borough Council spokesman said.

Bolton, of Cayton Drive, was sentenced at Teesside Magistrates Court on Monday.

He was handed a 12-month community order and must complete 60 hours of unpaid work.

Bolton, who denied selling counterfeit goods, was also ordered to pay costs of £1,400 and a £60 victim surcharge after being found guilty of five offences under the Trades Marks Act 1994.

Magistrates also ordered destruction of the goods.

Councillor Steve Nelson, Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council's Cabinet Member for Access, Communities and Community Safety, said: “Making or selling fake goods is against the law so if an item carries a well-known brand, it should be the genuine article.

“Our Trading Standards service is here to make sure that people get what they pay for. “Consumers should think carefully before they purchase designer goods online and if the prices seem too good to be true they probably are. “Anyone who believes they have been sold counterfeit merchandise should contact our Trading Standards team for advice.”

  • To report suspected counterfeit goods, call Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council's Trading Standards team on 01642-526560.