A MAJOR CD counterfeiting operation has been uncovered following a raid by trading standards officers and an anti-piracy unit.

Officers from North Yorkshire County Council also seized a quantity of pornographic material during the raid on a house on the outskirts of York.

A library containing tens of thousands of music albums was found, along with equipment capable of making counterfeit copies of music, films and computer games.

A large quantity of copied material waiting to be posted and six computers were also confiscated in Thursday's raid.

A man in his 30s has been arrested and could face charges under copyright and trademarks legislation.

Trading standards officers were joined in the raid by members of the Mechanical-Copyright Protection Society (MCPS), an organisation which investigates the illegal copying of music belongsing to its composer and songwriter members.

It is believed the operation was offering to sell counterfeit music CDs through Internet chatrooms and forums.

Nick Kounouplas, of the MCPS anti-piracy unit, said: "This looks to have been a fairly big operation. You don't have six computers unless you mean business.

"Counterfeiters steal from our members - the composers and songwriters - and from local retailers whose trade suffers and causes a detrimental effect on the local economy as a result."

Stuart Pudney, head of trading standards and regulatory services, said there was evidence that many counterfeiters use the proceeds of selling illegally-copied CDs to fund other criminal activities, such as drugs.

"If people buy cheap, fake CDs they're promoting a black economy, where people have no regard for the quality of products, and any sales threaten the livelihoods of honest businessmen," he said.