0:00:02 > 0:00:06These are ordinary houses in an ordinary street and they could be anywhere in the country.
0:00:06 > 0:00:12But the house I'm in is stuffed with fake goods, and your home could be, too.
0:00:12 > 0:00:20Today, I'm going to show you a world where everything is not quite as it seems. Welcome to Fake Britain.
0:00:21 > 0:00:23Police officers. Stay where you are!
0:00:35 > 0:00:39In this series, I'm going to be investigating
0:00:39 > 0:00:43the world of conmen and crooks who make their living at your expense.
0:00:43 > 0:00:47And I'm going to be showing you how not to get ripped off.
0:00:47 > 0:00:52Today, I'm looking at all kinds of fake goods, from food to fuse boxes.
0:00:52 > 0:00:55Coming up...
0:00:55 > 0:00:59Tracking the makers of fake electricals and counting the cost.
0:00:59 > 0:01:03That's when we realised that the fake plug was deadly.
0:01:03 > 0:01:06Hitting the bottle - the hunt for a fake vodka that could blind you.
0:01:06 > 0:01:11This is injurious to health. It's going to hurt people. You need to get it off the streets.
0:01:11 > 0:01:15And they're even faking brand name kids' motorbikes.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18The consequences of them going up in flames
0:01:18 > 0:01:22when children are on them, well, I couldn't live with that.
0:01:24 > 0:01:28Just look at all this stuff. It's all fake.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31Now, you might think it's all right saving yourself a few quid
0:01:31 > 0:01:35buying things like washing powder, watches, undies, sunglasses.
0:01:35 > 0:01:39What about more expensive items? Things like electrical goods.
0:01:39 > 0:01:44I tell you what, my first story might make you think twice.
0:01:45 > 0:01:49Here's our tree, our Christmas tree.
0:01:49 > 0:01:55It's Christmas, and starring in the school nativity is seven-year-old Connor O'Keeffe.
0:01:55 > 0:02:00To remind us of the very first Christmas.
0:02:00 > 0:02:03The next day, Connor flew off for a family holiday abroad,
0:02:03 > 0:02:07packing his beloved computer game but forgetting the charger.
0:02:07 > 0:02:10Walking along the street, and he'd be looking behind him
0:02:10 > 0:02:16and trying to walk and do his Game Boy at the same time.
0:02:16 > 0:02:18He just was Game Boy mad.
0:02:18 > 0:02:22We went into a department store and bought him a Game Boy charger.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25And unfortunately, it was deadly.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28They'd been deceived into buying a fake charger.
0:02:28 > 0:02:30Similar ones have flooded world markets.
0:02:30 > 0:02:36One test found 15 out of 21 chargers bought online in the UK failed
0:02:36 > 0:02:41British safety regulations. It's a frightening thought.
0:02:42 > 0:02:47He went in search of his Game Boy, thought he'd he'd have a quick go of his Game Boy before his food came.
0:02:48 > 0:02:50And when his food came,
0:02:50 > 0:02:52and we went in to get him,
0:02:52 > 0:02:54he was...
0:03:00 > 0:03:02He was dead.
0:03:02 > 0:03:07He was just lying on the floor with the charger lead in his hand.
0:03:10 > 0:03:14Connor was electrocuted. When the charger was tested in London,
0:03:14 > 0:03:16the coroner assured Patsy
0:03:16 > 0:03:20only an expert could have known that she had bought a deadly fake.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28Like I say, it had a hologram. It had the Nintendo hologram on it.
0:03:28 > 0:03:32There was nothing to lead me to believe that it was fake,
0:03:32 > 0:03:34even the box it came in.
0:03:34 > 0:03:38The person who's responsible for that plug, and probably many more,
0:03:38 > 0:03:43is maybe not even aware that that plug killed my son.
0:03:44 > 0:03:46Later, we join the global hunt
0:03:46 > 0:03:50to track down manufacturers of those fake electrical goods.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01The tranquil beauty of Carmarthenshire in Wales
0:04:01 > 0:04:03would have soon been broken if the fake goods
0:04:03 > 0:04:07shipped in this container had done what they were supposed to.
0:04:15 > 0:04:22This is mini moto. Few sports can rival such action and adventure for father and son.
0:04:22 > 0:04:26One dad saw bikes like these advertised on eBay.
0:04:26 > 0:04:31Reassured that they were made by Honda, he thought what a great gift for his two sons.
0:04:31 > 0:04:35On the Net, it was a fantastic page that they had advertising them.
0:04:35 > 0:04:39And they looked the bee's knees, to be honest with you.
0:04:39 > 0:04:41They did not look counterfeit at all.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44And I've been messing about with bikes all my life.
0:04:44 > 0:04:48But the two mini motorbikes he bought were fakes. They had never
0:04:48 > 0:04:51been near a Honda factory. Trading Standards discovered the seller
0:04:51 > 0:04:57had shipped a container load of them from China. The engines were made from chainsaws.
0:04:57 > 0:05:02The defendant was advertising these on eBay,
0:05:02 > 0:05:06described as Honda Mini Motos.
0:05:06 > 0:05:09They're obviously not Honda.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12Honda have confirmed that they're not Hondas.
0:05:12 > 0:05:14You think, first of all, they're not the quality
0:05:14 > 0:05:18you're used to with Honda, so alarm bells start ringing straight away.
0:05:18 > 0:05:22You look at the stickers, you know the stickers are not Honda stickers.
0:05:22 > 0:05:24When you try to start the bikes,
0:05:24 > 0:05:29then you realise that these are cheap imitations.
0:05:29 > 0:05:34You couldn't even start them, they were cheap tat in a cheap tatty box, really.
0:05:34 > 0:05:38So you phone the gentleman up and the response I had was,
0:05:38 > 0:05:43"He's not here no more, he's gone back to India." And that was it.
0:05:43 > 0:05:47When Carmarthen Trading Standards examined the bikes,
0:05:47 > 0:05:50it turned out it was probably just as well they wouldn't start.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53I don't think I'd be exaggerating by calling these a death trap.
0:05:53 > 0:05:59For example, the chain on the bike, there's too much tension in it and there's no chain guard on it.
0:05:59 > 0:06:05Considering it's a chainsaw engine, a trouser leg or arm could easily be entrapped in the chain mechanism.
0:06:05 > 0:06:10The stop button or shut down button, which is there for emergency use,
0:06:10 > 0:06:15on this bike the button isn't connected to anything and therefore doesn't do anything.
0:06:15 > 0:06:17The actual fuel pipe
0:06:17 > 0:06:22which runs here, in our tests the carburettor got warm,
0:06:22 > 0:06:26melted the fuel pipe and fuel was dumped on top of the engine.
0:06:29 > 0:06:34The dangers are so serious that back at the track officials now weed out all fake bikes.
0:06:34 > 0:06:39They're totally banned after one split in two at 40 mph.
0:06:39 > 0:06:45I bought two motorbikes for two cracking sons, I'm just glad that they were broken,
0:06:45 > 0:06:51because the consequences of them being right and going up in flames when children are on them,
0:06:51 > 0:06:53well, I couldn't live with that.
0:06:53 > 0:06:58With the help of Trading Standards, Stuart eventually got his money back.
0:06:58 > 0:07:06The seller was prosecuted, pleaded guilty, and was fined £9,000 with £15,000 costs.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09Time to find out how all this stuff slips into Blighty.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22This is Felixstowe port.
0:07:22 > 0:07:2540% of everything shipped into Britain arrives here.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28That's over 3 million containers a year.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31But which containers hold the fake goods?
0:07:34 > 0:07:40With a single ship carrying over 10,000 containers, Mick Southgate's got his work cut out,
0:07:40 > 0:07:43and uses this giant mobile scanner
0:07:43 > 0:07:49just like the hand luggage ones at airports, only a lot, lot bigger.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52By funnelling down and getting a number of containers
0:07:52 > 0:07:56we're interested in, we can put them through the scanning process.
0:07:56 > 0:07:58It saves huge amounts of time.
0:07:58 > 0:08:05This morning, there is something odd about a container load of industrial fans from China.
0:08:05 > 0:08:09The scanner suggests something could be hidden inside them.
0:08:09 > 0:08:14We're concerned about the overall weight of these particular fans.
0:08:14 > 0:08:21They seem very heavy, so we will now go to do some further examination.
0:08:21 > 0:08:27The 70-odd fans are someone's property, but Mick is suspicious.
0:08:27 > 0:08:29We'll rejoin him when he orders an inspection...
0:08:31 > 0:08:33to destruction.
0:08:39 > 0:08:43But not all fake traders are waiting on their next shipment from abroad.
0:08:43 > 0:08:49Officers are going to a suburban home churning out its own fake DVDs and selling them online.
0:08:49 > 0:08:53And they're about to get an early morning wake-up call.
0:08:53 > 0:08:57We're just about to enter this house. We're hoping to find
0:08:57 > 0:09:02lots of DVDs, so here we go.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05Police! Police, we have a warrant!
0:09:07 > 0:09:11Who'd have believed what's been going on at this suburban house?
0:09:17 > 0:09:24Equipped to churn out over £2,000 worth of fake DVDs every hour, this is a goldmine.
0:09:24 > 0:09:28I think we've hit the jackpot, chaps, I think we've hit the jackpot.
0:09:28 > 0:09:32What we've found today, the amount of money involved, we're talking millions.
0:09:32 > 0:09:36We've had a very good hit today.
0:09:36 > 0:09:38We've taken out 25,000 discs and hopefully taking that site down.
0:09:38 > 0:09:43But I'm sure it'll morph again and we'll do the same job again.
0:09:43 > 0:09:49Later on today we'll be interviewing the two individuals that were arrested and asking them to explain.
0:09:51 > 0:09:54Do we need to interview them? Probably not, I think the evidence
0:09:54 > 0:10:00is overwhelming, but it would be nice to have a chat with them and find out what their involvement is.
0:10:00 > 0:10:06Of all the fakes out there, DVDs are perhaps the ones people are most willing to buy.
0:10:06 > 0:10:08I think you should all look at yourselves and think,
0:10:08 > 0:10:11you know, this is taking millions out of the industry.
0:10:11 > 0:10:15You have a job, I have a job, how would you like it if somebody
0:10:15 > 0:10:20was to come in, undercut your job and cost you your job?
0:10:20 > 0:10:25These two could be facing a long stretch away from peaceful suburbia.
0:10:35 > 0:10:38Back at Felixstowe, Mick Southgate has
0:10:38 > 0:10:44given the green light for officers to cut open those suspiciously heavy Chinese industrial fans.
0:10:44 > 0:10:49If it turns out nothing inside is fake, they can't be repaired.
0:10:49 > 0:10:51The owners won't be happy.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54Mick stands by his instincts.
0:11:12 > 0:11:16Result! Stuffed with counterfeit cigarettes.
0:11:18 > 0:11:23Churned out in illegal Chinese factories for just 9p a packet,
0:11:23 > 0:11:25somebody hoped to make a lot of money.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28They reckon that one in nine cigarettes in Britain is fake.
0:11:28 > 0:11:32This is quite a sophisticated concealment.
0:11:32 > 0:11:35You've seen that there are cigarettes inside the fans.
0:11:35 > 0:11:38The profits they're making from this have to be significant to make all of
0:11:38 > 0:11:44that, plus the shipping costs and the distribution costs, worthwhile.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47A full container of cigarettes could
0:11:47 > 0:11:50perhaps bring £1 million worth of profit.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53We think we've seen it all and then something else comes along
0:11:53 > 0:11:55and we get something different we haven't seen before.
0:11:55 > 0:12:00Tests on fake cigarettes have found rat droppings, sawdust, and arsenic in them.
0:12:00 > 0:12:04With higher levels of nicotine and tar, they're more addictive
0:12:04 > 0:12:08and may contain twice the amount of cancer-causing agents.
0:12:08 > 0:12:11Assuming there is something in the pack.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14You buy 200 cigarettes off somebody on the street corner.
0:12:14 > 0:12:18You think what a good deal, take it home, open up the packaging,
0:12:18 > 0:12:21and you won't even find any cigarettes in there are all.
0:12:21 > 0:12:24But you will find a lump of lead and a bit of polystyrene.
0:12:24 > 0:12:28Which probably is the ultimate con as far as counterfeit cigarettes is concerned.
0:12:28 > 0:12:32This is a good example of cigarettes concealed in wood.
0:12:32 > 0:12:36There were millions in a container that came from the Far East.
0:12:37 > 0:12:41Back at the warehouse, a good day for Mick and the team,
0:12:41 > 0:12:45a bad day for someone waiting on that container load of fans.
0:12:45 > 0:12:50Now we will pass this case on to our investigation colleagues who'll be
0:12:50 > 0:12:52looking to try and trace the people that were
0:12:52 > 0:12:58funding this importation, and they'll be looking to go out and hopefully make some arrests in the UK.
0:13:03 > 0:13:06Remember that terrible story of how seven year-old Connor
0:13:06 > 0:13:09was electrocuted by a fake Game Boy charger?
0:13:09 > 0:13:14Terrifyingly, there are still a lot more dodgy electrical goods out there.
0:13:14 > 0:13:20This story happened once upon a time, 2,000 years ago...
0:13:20 > 0:13:24Seven-year old Connor was killed by a fake Game Boy charger.
0:13:24 > 0:13:31What horrifies his mother is that thousands of fake electrical goods are shipped into Britain every day.
0:13:31 > 0:13:36Just listening to me, I'm hoping that it will just
0:13:36 > 0:13:42make people think twice before they do buy things like that.
0:13:42 > 0:13:48Just to stop and really check, because looking at them isn't enough.
0:13:48 > 0:13:52If it saves just one other kid then that's something, isn't it?
0:14:00 > 0:14:04Working undercover in China for the real manufacturers,
0:14:04 > 0:14:10Kevin Harris poses as a buyer and locates the counterfeit factories.
0:14:10 > 0:14:15Alongside Chinese authorities, Kevin hopes to shut them down in raids like this.
0:14:17 > 0:14:23About £30 million worth of fake electricals make it into Britain every year.
0:14:23 > 0:14:30We have conducted something like 300 raids, we've confiscated and had destroyed over 10 million products.
0:14:30 > 0:14:32It's the tip of the iceberg, you know?
0:14:32 > 0:14:34We're fighting a losing battle.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37These products, well, they're made from plastic that
0:14:37 > 0:14:40you wouldn't even make a Barbie doll from, quite frankly.
0:14:44 > 0:14:48So let's compare the real thing with something knocked up in one of these factories.
0:14:48 > 0:14:55In your fuse box at home you will have devices such as this.
0:14:55 > 0:15:00This one is a genuine product, with all the certification markings that you can see,
0:15:00 > 0:15:03and you can see how sturdy it is.
0:15:03 > 0:15:07This one is a fake one, made in south-east China.
0:15:10 > 0:15:16You can see how shoddy this one is and it gives absolutely no protection whatsoever.
0:15:16 > 0:15:22When I've posed as a buyer of counterfeit products in southern China at the trade fairs,
0:15:22 > 0:15:26they will ask you what product you want, what brand you want,
0:15:26 > 0:15:29what country they're going to, because this will give them
0:15:29 > 0:15:33the idea of which certification marks to put on to the product.
0:15:33 > 0:15:37Whether they comply or not, they don't care.
0:15:37 > 0:15:41The risk is fire and injury, and death.
0:15:48 > 0:15:54We've come to an electrical testing lab, where authentic products earn their certification.
0:15:54 > 0:16:00So how dangerous would this fake circuit breaker be under the stairs of your home?
0:16:00 > 0:16:04What we're going to ask this device to do is exactly what it said on the label.
0:16:04 > 0:16:09We want people to think of this as the protective device in their home and their office,
0:16:09 > 0:16:13and from our previous experience, what we need to do now
0:16:13 > 0:16:16is to walk behind the bullet-proof glass to a secure area.
0:16:18 > 0:16:23Later, we find out what happens when we throw the switch on the fake.
0:16:31 > 0:16:38After watching that, you might be tempted to pour yourself a stiff drink, but be careful.
0:16:38 > 0:16:42You've guessed it, yes, the fakers have been targeting the drink business.
0:16:42 > 0:16:46And this bootleg booze could be on sale in a shop right near you.
0:16:46 > 0:16:49Up and down the country, thousands of bottles
0:16:49 > 0:16:54of seized fake vodka stack up in Trading Standards warehouses.
0:16:54 > 0:16:58It's left two people dead and many more seriously ill.
0:16:58 > 0:17:01In Cardiff alone, recent raids uncovered
0:17:01 > 0:17:0414 corner shops selling fakes of the reputable Glenn's Vodka.
0:17:04 > 0:17:09In this particular case we've got over 1,000 bottles of vodka behind me.
0:17:09 > 0:17:13We picked all those up in one day. I was surprised at the amount,
0:17:13 > 0:17:16but also surprised that 14 retailers
0:17:16 > 0:17:19were prepared to buy this stuff
0:17:19 > 0:17:23out of the back of a white van with no VAT receipt, no nothing.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26And then, bless them, they'll come to court and plead that in all innocence
0:17:26 > 0:17:29they did this, they had no reason to suspect there was anything wrong.
0:17:29 > 0:17:33It beggars belief, really, that they would expect magistrates to believe them.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36This shop alone had over 600 bottles of the stuff.
0:17:36 > 0:17:41Fined £400, they also lost their alcohol licence for three months.
0:17:41 > 0:17:45And this wasn't even the city's biggest haul.
0:17:48 > 0:17:56What they uncovered at this factory was more 1920s Chicago than 21st century Cardiff.
0:17:59 > 0:18:02A complete fake vodka factory.
0:18:02 > 0:18:07This was full-scale production of illegal alcohol.
0:18:07 > 0:18:11We're talking 4,000-5,000 litre vats of the raw ethanol.
0:18:11 > 0:18:15There were pallets and pallets of these bottles waiting to go out.
0:18:15 > 0:18:20We'd had information to suggest that HGV wagons had already left
0:18:20 > 0:18:22the depot, so I'd hate to put a figure on
0:18:22 > 0:18:27how many bottles had actually left and were being put in circulation.
0:18:32 > 0:18:37Scientists discovered they'd faked East European Christoff Vodka.
0:18:37 > 0:18:42But this had 120 times the legal amount of methanol -
0:18:42 > 0:18:44tasteless, but deadly.
0:18:44 > 0:18:48You can't detect methanol. It smells very much like ethanol,
0:18:48 > 0:18:56but the consequences are that it can it make you feel dizzy, you can have
0:18:56 > 0:19:01pains in your stomach, you can actually then become sick.
0:19:01 > 0:19:08But if you do drink a lot of it in one go or over a short period of time, then you can actually
0:19:08 > 0:19:13result in respiratory failure and even blindness.
0:19:13 > 0:19:18They're dangerous to the point where a fatality may occur.
0:19:18 > 0:19:21The analysis was plain and simple, this is injurious to health.
0:19:21 > 0:19:24It's going to hurt people, you need to get it off the streets,
0:19:24 > 0:19:27so obviously our efforts were directed in that area.
0:19:27 > 0:19:34With 5,000 bottles labelled and ready to go, how many had already hit the streets?
0:19:34 > 0:19:40Amazingly, the fast work of scientists and officers in the field meant no one was injured.
0:19:40 > 0:19:45The gang, out to make a fast buck with their dangerous hooch, were never caught.
0:19:45 > 0:19:47I'd be foolish to think we'd ended the problem.
0:19:47 > 0:19:51We haven't ended the problem across the counterfeiting piece -
0:19:51 > 0:19:53why should this be any different?
0:19:53 > 0:19:59And remember, fake vodka can appear normal, so be careful where you buy it.
0:19:59 > 0:20:04Even drinking it neat, you're not going to be able to tell,
0:20:04 > 0:20:05and the only way you're going to know is when you fall ill.
0:20:05 > 0:20:12If you ever have any doubt, don't drink it, inform Trading Standards, have it tested.
0:20:20 > 0:20:23In Birmingham, Sean Tregonnan and his team of officers are
0:20:23 > 0:20:27revisiting a shop that just can't kick its habit of selling fake fags.
0:20:27 > 0:20:29Revenue and Customs.
0:20:29 > 0:20:33We need to come and have a check for your cigarettes and tobacco, OK?
0:20:33 > 0:20:37Straight away, Sean finds they haven't changed their ways.
0:20:42 > 0:20:43Counterfeit hand-rolling tobacco.
0:20:43 > 0:20:48Generally, you can tell by their body language whether they're pleased to see you
0:20:48 > 0:20:51or are genuinely trying to hide something.
0:20:51 > 0:20:55The people who are very helpful and stand in the same place whilst directing you around are
0:20:55 > 0:20:58generally standing very close to where they don't want you to be.
0:20:58 > 0:21:05Where are you going? I need to ask you some questions about this stuff.
0:21:05 > 0:21:07Is there any more cigarettes around?
0:21:07 > 0:21:09No.
0:21:09 > 0:21:15He says no, but Sean's a suspicious sort of chap and doesn't always believe what he's told.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32And sure enough, another bag full of fakes.
0:21:32 > 0:21:37The shop down the road selling the real thing makes only pence on every packet.
0:21:37 > 0:21:42With these guys, it's pounds on every piece.
0:21:43 > 0:21:47Ever thorough, Sean searches for the old skirting board trick.
0:21:53 > 0:21:59Round the back, officers bump into another shop worker in a bit of a hurry.
0:21:59 > 0:22:03We went in the front of the shop, the shopkeeper was obviously behind the counter.
0:22:03 > 0:22:07He said something to a lad that was in the shop who then went out the back.
0:22:07 > 0:22:11Luckily, we had officers covering at the back and they caught him
0:22:11 > 0:22:15filling up onion bags full of cigarettes out of some old furniture stored in the garden.
0:22:15 > 0:22:20Back in the shop, Sean's looking for something hot from the fridge.
0:22:22 > 0:22:26- Yet another haul.- Have I missed any?
0:22:26 > 0:22:30No. Have we got them all? You sure?
0:22:30 > 0:22:33I know, I just don't sleep very well at night
0:22:33 > 0:22:36if I don't find out I've got them all.
0:22:36 > 0:22:41The only place he hasn't looked is the cake counter, packed with delicious pastries...
0:22:41 > 0:22:44- Oh!- And tobacco.
0:22:48 > 0:22:52Customs give the shop yet another warning.
0:22:52 > 0:22:58Now they are hundreds of pounds out of pocket, as 15,000 fake fags are carried off.
0:23:05 > 0:23:08Good old British cod and chips. It's our national institution.
0:23:08 > 0:23:12It's like boiled egg and soldiers, but, John, fake cod?
0:23:12 > 0:23:15- Tell me this can't be true. - I'm afraid it is, Dom.
0:23:15 > 0:23:19We had a complaint from a lady who bought cod and chips,
0:23:19 > 0:23:23and once she'd tasted the cod she thought, "I'm absolutely sure it's not cod."
0:23:23 > 0:23:28So she took it back to the chip shop and the chip shop gave her no satisfaction whatsoever.
0:23:28 > 0:23:31- She complained to Trading Standards. - If it wasn't cod, what was it?
0:23:31 > 0:23:33It was a fish called pangasius.
0:23:33 > 0:23:36- Which is what you've got here. - This is pangasius.
0:23:36 > 0:23:40It's a river fish and it's farmed in the rivers of Vietnam.
0:23:40 > 0:23:45I've got to say, that looks absolutely nothing like that.
0:23:45 > 0:23:49They are totally different, aren't they?
0:23:49 > 0:23:53So how could somebody even attempt to get away with flogging that and saying it's that?
0:23:53 > 0:23:57Well, when it's deep fried and battered they look very similar.
0:23:57 > 0:24:02But that is £5 per kilo, and that is £15 per kilo.
0:24:02 > 0:24:04Right, so it's purely about money here, isn't it?
0:24:04 > 0:24:09It is about money, yes. And we prosecuted both the directors and the company.
0:24:09 > 0:24:14The directors were fined £2,000 each, and the company had to pay another £1,200.
0:24:14 > 0:24:18£5,200, all for masquerading a bit of cod which was actually a panga.
0:24:18 > 0:24:20That's absolutely correct.
0:24:20 > 0:24:24I know of other incidents that have happened elsewhere in the country.
0:24:24 > 0:24:28It must be happening the length and breadth of the country.
0:24:28 > 0:24:30So if anybody ever buys something and they're
0:24:30 > 0:24:33not happy about it, don't think that a complaint is good enough.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36Try and keep a little bit of it back, take it to you guys,
0:24:36 > 0:24:39- you investigate it and then bring a prosecution.- That's correct.
0:24:46 > 0:24:50Well, that tale might have left you with a bad taste in your mouth
0:24:50 > 0:24:51and a dent in your wallet.
0:24:51 > 0:24:53But let's return to a story
0:24:53 > 0:24:58that could have deadly consequences for you and your family.
0:24:59 > 0:25:02Remember that fake circuit breaker?
0:25:02 > 0:25:05Time to find out what would happen if it was under your stairs.
0:25:05 > 0:25:08This effectively is the National Grid.
0:25:08 > 0:25:12This is the consumer. And if this fails
0:25:12 > 0:25:17as a fake device, there will be serious injury, there will be a fire.
0:25:17 > 0:25:19Possibly serious injury and death.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41This could kill. This could seriously injure people.
0:25:41 > 0:25:44Houses could burn down.
0:25:45 > 0:25:48Just one fake charger killed Connor O'Keeffe.
0:25:48 > 0:25:52It was perfectly packaged outside but deadly inside.
0:25:52 > 0:25:57And as fakes flood Britain, the fear is Connor won't be the last to die.
0:25:57 > 0:25:59It gets a bit easier
0:25:59 > 0:26:02but life ain't the same, it'll never be the same.
0:26:02 > 0:26:05You don't expect to bury your children.
0:26:05 > 0:26:07When he died something in me died.
0:26:07 > 0:26:10I'm not the same person.
0:26:14 > 0:26:20With offenders carted off to prison, fake fags off to the local incinerator and fake electricals
0:26:20 > 0:26:24crushed by a bulldozer, There's a lot of waste in fake Britain.
0:26:28 > 0:26:31Just imagine if some good could come out of it.
0:26:31 > 0:26:38In a single raid Tower Hamlet's Trading Standards seized £100,000 of fake clothing.
0:26:38 > 0:26:40It, too, should be destroyed.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43Before we met you we used to incinerate it.
0:26:43 > 0:26:45We guarantee it'll help people who really need it.
0:26:45 > 0:26:51We're going to take off the branding and then Trading Standards said, if you can take-off the branding
0:26:51 > 0:26:54they no longer are fake Tommy Hilfiger or fake Nike.
0:26:54 > 0:26:57They are neutral. You can have them and you can do what you want with them.
0:26:59 > 0:27:03With brand-names unstitched and the charity's label stuck on,
0:27:03 > 0:27:06a truckload arrives at the Whitechapel Mission for the Homeless.
0:27:06 > 0:27:08He's heard your prayers, Sue.
0:27:08 > 0:27:10Oh, they're going to love this.
0:27:10 > 0:27:13That might have said a little Ralf Lauren horse on there,
0:27:13 > 0:27:16we took it off and we put HIS on, that means we can give socks away.
0:27:16 > 0:27:19These are fabulous.
0:27:19 > 0:27:21- And thick. - That started life as a Prada hat.
0:27:21 > 0:27:28- Wow. - Now look. Aren't they wonderful?
0:27:33 > 0:27:38So you're going to be able to have a shower, get whatever you need, brand new clothing.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41A nice bit of designer gear.
0:27:48 > 0:27:52It's like walking into Aladdin's cave on Christmas.
0:27:52 > 0:27:54I don't know, I'm gobsmacked.
0:27:54 > 0:27:55I really am.
0:27:55 > 0:27:57It's put me on a par with everyone else.
0:27:57 > 0:28:00So, yeah, this could actually change my world.
0:28:00 > 0:28:03They say it's not going to change the world, but it'll change mine.
0:28:03 > 0:28:05It's a happy ending. Yeah.
0:28:05 > 0:28:06Beggars can be choosers.
0:28:06 > 0:28:08At the Mission.
0:28:08 > 0:28:13All this stuff was going to be used for crime and for criminal activity.
0:28:13 > 0:28:16It ends up helping the people who most need it.
0:28:16 > 0:28:18Thanks for everything, everyone.
0:28:18 > 0:28:23Have a good day. Bye-bye. Bye everyone.
0:28:23 > 0:28:27This is one place criminals never thought their wares would end up.
0:28:27 > 0:28:29Police officers, stay where you are.
0:28:29 > 0:28:34Next time on Fake Britain I'll be investigating the world of fake money.
0:28:34 > 0:28:36That's all from Fake Britain for today.
0:28:36 > 0:28:38Thanks for watching.
0:28:50 > 0:28:53Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:28:53 > 0:28:56E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk