COUNTERFEIT goods worth more than £30,000 have been recovered from two raids in part of the region.

The first seizure carried out by Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council's trading standards officers was at the regular Sunday car boot sale at Redcar Racecourse.

Officers collected 274 copy DVDs, with a retail value of £5,500, selling for £8 each.

Titles included Lord of the Rings, Monsters Inc and Scooby Doo.

The second seizure was from a private house in east Cleveland.

More than 1,300 CDs, plus DVDs, music CDs and console games, with an estimated value of £24,000, were discovered.

Howard Turton, the authority's principal trading standards officer, said: "Working with the European Leisure Software Publishers Association, we have made a significant inroad into the illegal trade in counterfeit goods within Redcar and Cleveland and beyond. Inquiries so far indicate both people were dealing in counterfeit merchandise of excellent quality.

"Others involved in this trade should be warned we will do everything in our power to catch them, remove their assets and bring them to court."