THREE men have been arrested by police officers investigating alleged pirate DVDs.

Detectives swooped at the Batleys car boot sale, near Chester-le-Street, and arrested three men on suspicion of conspiring to defraud the film and music industries.

Thousands of counterfeit DVDs, including some titles yet to hit UK cinema screens, were confiscated.

Police have confirmed that two of the suspects were already facing court, after being arrested in similar raids in May this year.

Detective Constable Steve Chinner and his team recovered £2,500 in cash and about 2,000 pirate DVDs from the car boot stall, including recent blockbusters The Bourne Supremacy, I Robot, Terminal and Predator vs Alien, which are yet to be released in UK cinemas.

They also raided a house in Stanley, where they found copying equipment and more counterfeit goods.

DC Chinner said: "This was a major counterfeiting operation, capable of generating thousands of pounds a week for those responsible."

The three men arrested have been released on police bail, pending further inquiries.

The raids followed a similar intelligence-led operation in May, when officers working with Trading Standards and the British Phonographic Industry's anti-piracy unit swooped on three houses in Stanley and made three arrests.

They also recovered bootleg CDs and DVDs with a high street value of more than £250,000, banks of computer equipment, thousands of blank CDs and £10,000 cash.

Officers at the time described it as one of the biggest film and music piracy rings in the UK.

DC Chinner said: "We will continue to gather intelligence and target those involved."