0:00:02 > 0:00:07Welcome to a world where nothing is quite as it seems.
0:00:07 > 0:00:09Welcome to Fake Britain.
0:00:25 > 0:00:28In this series, I will be investigating the world
0:00:28 > 0:00:31of the criminals who make their money at your expense.
0:00:31 > 0:00:34And I'll show you how not to get ripped off.
0:00:34 > 0:00:39'On today's programme, fake clothing is a multi-million pound industry
0:00:39 > 0:00:43'in the UK, but the counterfeiters don't give up their stock easily,
0:00:43 > 0:00:46'as the police and Trading Standards in Manchester find out.'
0:00:46 > 0:00:48Get down! Get on the floor now!
0:00:48 > 0:00:52'We test the fake energy-saving plugs targeting the elderly
0:00:52 > 0:00:55'that could cost them a lot more than their cash.'
0:00:56 > 0:01:01It's just going to burn. This product could kill somebody.
0:01:01 > 0:01:03'And take a look inside the so-called clinic
0:01:03 > 0:01:06'of a fake dental technician.
0:01:06 > 0:01:09'You wouldn't want to put anything made here in your mouth.
0:01:09 > 0:01:13'But the faker's victims didn't know the risks they were taking.'
0:01:13 > 0:01:16You could take bacteria from one patient's mouth
0:01:16 > 0:01:19and transfer it to another patient.
0:01:28 > 0:01:32In Manchester, shopping is big business.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35But fake clothing is also popular here.
0:01:35 > 0:01:38The Strangeways district of the city is notorious for selling
0:01:38 > 0:01:40counterfeit brands.
0:01:40 > 0:01:42Big names like Adidas, Nike
0:01:42 > 0:01:45and Ugg have all fallen victim to the fakers.
0:01:45 > 0:01:48But the authorities are about to launch a crackdown in the area
0:01:48 > 0:01:51and we've followed one team as they launch
0:01:51 > 0:01:54an operation against counterfeit stores.
0:01:54 > 0:01:57In Strangeways, a major raid is about to get under way.
0:01:57 > 0:01:59It's a bit early for hitting the shops,
0:01:59 > 0:02:03but not for Sgt Darren Thomason and his team.
0:02:03 > 0:02:07They're on their way to a store known to be openly selling fake clothes.
0:02:07 > 0:02:12Today we're doing an operation in conjunction with Trading Standards.
0:02:12 > 0:02:16I'm pretty certain that we'll find a number of different copied
0:02:16 > 0:02:21items, ie. Adidas jackets, Nike jackets, Nike tracksuits.
0:02:21 > 0:02:24But it's not just about fake fashion -
0:02:24 > 0:02:27it's about serious organised crime.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30It's the dynamics behind the selling of the goods -
0:02:30 > 0:02:34where is the money going on to? It's been proven it relates to all
0:02:34 > 0:02:40different spheres of criminality, from, er, drugs to guns
0:02:40 > 0:02:45to stolen vehicles, and money laundering of that cash as well.
0:02:45 > 0:02:49Daytime crackdowns on fakers are all about the element of surprise.
0:02:49 > 0:02:53Uniformed police officers would stick out like a sore thumb.
0:02:53 > 0:02:57And if they blow their cover, they'll come away with nothing.
0:02:57 > 0:02:59If a couple of undercover officers go in,
0:02:59 > 0:03:02confirm what they believe counterfeit goods are being sold,
0:03:02 > 0:03:06we get round there as quick as possible to assist our colleagues there.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11All of a sudden, the undercover officers call in.
0:03:11 > 0:03:12They are inside the shop
0:03:12 > 0:03:15and it's time for their backup to spring into action.
0:03:18 > 0:03:19Where are they, are they in here?
0:03:21 > 0:03:24Inside the store, the shop assistants are resisting arrest.
0:03:24 > 0:03:27- Get down! Get down! - Get on the floor now!
0:03:27 > 0:03:31Put your hands on your back! Now! Do as you're told!
0:03:31 > 0:03:33Just secure them. Secure them.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36Hands behind your back, now!
0:03:36 > 0:03:39On your side, stay there, stay there!
0:03:39 > 0:03:41Have you been assaulted at all?
0:03:41 > 0:03:45These three suspects clearly need some lessons in customer service.
0:03:45 > 0:03:46I got a big lad back here
0:03:46 > 0:03:49cos he's the one seemed most aggressive towards me.
0:03:49 > 0:03:54In what respect, mate? He's confrontational? OK.
0:03:54 > 0:03:55Coming up to me towards the door,
0:03:55 > 0:03:58that's when we had to take him to the floor.
0:03:58 > 0:04:03A fourth suspect has made a run for it up the back stairs, but he wasn't quick enough.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06Don't move a muscle, lad, all right?
0:04:06 > 0:04:08You listening to me?
0:04:08 > 0:04:10Right, move down there.
0:04:10 > 0:04:14Hands behind your back, now. No, behind your back!
0:04:15 > 0:04:19Time to tell these men why their shop is full of police officers rather than customers.
0:04:19 > 0:04:24We suspect you're selling counterfeit goods, OK?
0:04:24 > 0:04:26In the process of us getting into this address,
0:04:26 > 0:04:31a couple of my police officers have been assaulted, OK?
0:04:31 > 0:04:34Because of the struggle, Darren isn't taking any chances.
0:04:34 > 0:04:36I don't want Trading Standards officers here yet,
0:04:36 > 0:04:41it's still quite a hostile environment, I want to find out what these characters have been up to.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44With the area secured and the suspects finally
0:04:44 > 0:04:48behaving themselves, Trading Standards arrive on the scene.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51Kay Roberts from Cheshire East Trading Standards is looking
0:04:51 > 0:04:55for hard evidence of cash that links these men to selling fake goods,
0:04:55 > 0:05:00and she thinks she's hit the jackpot after a search of the men's pockets.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03There's approximately £3,000 here.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06I would suggest the average person doesn't walk round with £3,000 in their pocket,
0:05:06 > 0:05:09it's a lot of money to be carrying legitimately.
0:05:09 > 0:05:13Counterfeiting makes criminals millions of pounds a year.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16The fraudsters don't pay tax on their cash-rich business
0:05:16 > 0:05:19and there is evidence to suggest that the money funds serious
0:05:19 > 0:05:21organised crime, and even terrorism.
0:05:21 > 0:05:25So Trading Standards are hitting the fakers right where it hurts -
0:05:25 > 0:05:27in the wallet.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30The purpose of seizing the cash is to act as a deterrent as well.
0:05:30 > 0:05:34The reason these traders do this is for the financial gain,
0:05:34 > 0:05:35the financial element,
0:05:35 > 0:05:38and we are interested in taking any profit out of crime.
0:05:38 > 0:05:42Today, crime didn't pay. The men are led out and driven off.
0:05:45 > 0:05:49The officers can now take a closer look at the clothes on offer in this store,
0:05:49 > 0:05:53and at first glance it's more Fake Britannia than Cool Britannia.
0:05:53 > 0:05:57As you can see here, Dolce and Gabbana, not my cup of tea.
0:05:57 > 0:06:02It's got all the relevant markings on it - badged, boxed.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05They even stick the label on, "Made in Italy".
0:06:05 > 0:06:08That'll be "Made in Blackpool", it should be!
0:06:09 > 0:06:12But these fake trainers are just the tip of the iceberg.
0:06:12 > 0:06:13Gee whizz - look at that.
0:06:15 > 0:06:17Later, we come face to face
0:06:17 > 0:06:23with the sheer volume of counterfeit clothing you can cram into just one high street shop.
0:06:29 > 0:06:31Like many pensioners,
0:06:31 > 0:06:34Lucia East from Brecon worries about spiralling energy bills.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37And she thought her prayers had been answered
0:06:37 > 0:06:40when she received a phone call, apparently from
0:06:40 > 0:06:46her local energy company, South Wales Electricity, known as SWALEC.
0:06:46 > 0:06:50I had a phone call late one afternoon
0:06:50 > 0:06:54from a very charming lady saying she was from SWALEC,
0:06:54 > 0:07:00and they had a special offer for older people in the area.
0:07:00 > 0:07:06She was offering me a gadget that would save 40% on my energy bills.
0:07:06 > 0:07:10I thought £99 was a lot of money, but she said,
0:07:10 > 0:07:14"It is for life, and think how much it will save you."
0:07:15 > 0:07:20The charmer on the phone already had a lot of personal information about Lucia
0:07:20 > 0:07:21and seemed legitimate.
0:07:21 > 0:07:25So she gave them her bank account details to get the energy-saving plug.
0:07:25 > 0:07:29But then Lucia started to get suspicious.
0:07:29 > 0:07:35When I put the phone down, I began to think that was a bit strange,
0:07:35 > 0:07:39so I phoned SWALEC and asked if they had phoned me
0:07:39 > 0:07:42and they said no, nothing to do with them,
0:07:42 > 0:07:43they didn't know anything about it.
0:07:43 > 0:07:47Lucia had been speaking to a faker.
0:07:47 > 0:07:49The call had come not from her energy supplier,
0:07:49 > 0:07:54but from a company trading under the name Power Savers Limited.
0:07:54 > 0:07:56They were the ones who'd taken the money from her account.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59200 miles away in London,
0:07:59 > 0:08:03Bethan Featherby at Westminster Trading Standards had heard from
0:08:03 > 0:08:04other pensioners across the country
0:08:04 > 0:08:07who had received similar phone calls.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10Bethan phoned Lucia and told her not to plug in
0:08:10 > 0:08:12the energy-saving plug when it arrived,
0:08:12 > 0:08:14but to send it straight to her.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16We've had over 200 complaints from consumers
0:08:16 > 0:08:19and I'm sure that's just the tip of the iceberg.
0:08:19 > 0:08:24You are supposed to plug it into the mains, switch it on,
0:08:24 > 0:08:25and leave it running 24/7.
0:08:25 > 0:08:29And that will reduce your energy bills by 40% -
0:08:29 > 0:08:32a massive saving, clearly people would be interested
0:08:32 > 0:08:33if such a product did exist.
0:08:33 > 0:08:35But does it work?
0:08:35 > 0:08:38When Bethan finally got her hands on one of the so-called
0:08:38 > 0:08:42energy-saving plugs, she wasn't impressed.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45When you receive the device, just a pile of old plastic,
0:08:45 > 0:08:49and you open it up, you realise there's nothing in there that
0:08:49 > 0:08:52gives you any confidence that it could deliver that kind of savings.
0:08:52 > 0:08:54It's a pile of rubbish, really.
0:08:54 > 0:08:57Bethan had the plugs tested for their energy-saving capabilities.
0:08:57 > 0:09:00The results were conclusive -
0:09:00 > 0:09:05the energy-saving plug that Lucia East had paid £99 for
0:09:05 > 0:09:07didn't save energy. It was a fake.
0:09:07 > 0:09:09I felt totally cheated,
0:09:09 > 0:09:15I also felt incredibly stupid that I'd been taken in.
0:09:15 > 0:09:20Later on, we put the fake energy-saving plugs to the test
0:09:20 > 0:09:24and see how they could cost you
0:09:24 > 0:09:27a lot more than £99 - they could cost you your life.
0:09:36 > 0:09:38Hi-tech dentistry using the latest techniques.
0:09:40 > 0:09:43That's how the man who worked amongst all this
0:09:43 > 0:09:46described his work. But he wasn't qualified to treat patients.
0:09:46 > 0:09:48He was faking it.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51This is the man who took thousands of pounds
0:09:51 > 0:09:55from elderly and vulnerable people who needed new teeth.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01Keith Harrington suffers from a serious medical condition,
0:10:01 > 0:10:04and when his top denture broke,
0:10:04 > 0:10:08he needed a new upper set of teeth as soon as possible.
0:10:08 > 0:10:10'Well, my husband's got MS.'
0:10:10 > 0:10:13He has problems swallowing,
0:10:13 > 0:10:15and choking difficulties.
0:10:15 > 0:10:19What they needed was somebody qualified to visit them at home
0:10:19 > 0:10:21to fit Keith a new set of dentures.
0:10:21 > 0:10:25Sylvia thought she'd found the perfect solution.
0:10:25 > 0:10:29I looked in the Yellow Pages and found someone
0:10:29 > 0:10:34from The Denture Clinic in Dawlish who would come to the house.
0:10:34 > 0:10:38And when he came, he was charming, comfortable to be with,
0:10:38 > 0:10:41- a caring sort of person, we thought. - Yeah, very.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46The charmer was a man called Stephen Sickelmore,
0:10:46 > 0:10:47owner of The Denture Clinic,
0:10:47 > 0:10:52promising new dentures within four days and repairs within two hours.
0:10:52 > 0:10:55Sickelmore promptly came to the Harringtons' home to fit
0:10:55 > 0:10:59Keith for a new set of top dentures.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02Well, then he told me the price, £1,060
0:11:02 > 0:11:04and I thought that's a bit steep.
0:11:04 > 0:11:09In the end, the bill came to a whopping £1,540
0:11:09 > 0:11:13for Keith's new dentures and some other work.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16Sickelmore left with the cheque, promising to be in touch soon.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19But all he delivered within the four days promised by his advert
0:11:19 > 0:11:23was the Harringtons' money into his own bank account.
0:11:23 > 0:11:27He kept saying yes, he was coming the following week.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30"Oh, I'll definitely be down. I've got problems with the car.
0:11:30 > 0:11:32"I hit a pothole."
0:11:32 > 0:11:35Every couple of days, I was ringing him.
0:11:35 > 0:11:37It was excuse after excuse, wasn't it?
0:11:37 > 0:11:39It was, just excuse after excuse.
0:11:43 > 0:11:45A full three months later,
0:11:45 > 0:11:48after many phone calls from the Harringtons,
0:11:48 > 0:11:51Sickelmore finally turned up with a new upper denture.
0:11:51 > 0:11:55But that was when Keith's problems really began.
0:11:55 > 0:11:58You talk to people and your teeth fall out,
0:11:58 > 0:12:02or you're talking to people and it affects your speech.
0:12:02 > 0:12:06So you can't really, you know,
0:12:06 > 0:12:09converse with people.
0:12:09 > 0:12:13It is frustrating.
0:12:13 > 0:12:15Keith's new teeth just wouldn't stay in.
0:12:15 > 0:12:19But he wasn't just losing his self-esteem to these dodgy dentures,
0:12:19 > 0:12:21they were cutting into his gums.
0:12:21 > 0:12:23The last infection he had,
0:12:23 > 0:12:27he couldn't walk from here to that chair. It was that bad.
0:12:30 > 0:12:32But it's not just the Harringtons.
0:12:32 > 0:12:34Sickelmore has in fact taken money
0:12:34 > 0:12:37from hundreds of other trusting people,
0:12:37 > 0:12:41many of them vulnerable pensioners. Laura Hempstead was one of them.
0:12:41 > 0:12:46She lives in remote Boscastle on the north Cornish coast.
0:12:46 > 0:12:48When her front denture broke,
0:12:48 > 0:12:50she too needed a home visit for a new set.
0:12:50 > 0:12:54She also phoned Mr Sickelmore, who measured her for new teeth,
0:12:54 > 0:12:57took her money and then disappeared.
0:12:57 > 0:13:01After four months of excuses,
0:13:01 > 0:13:05Laura finally got the dentures she'd paid over £700 for.
0:13:05 > 0:13:07But the new teeth didn't look quite right.
0:13:07 > 0:13:11I don't know what I expected for £720,
0:13:11 > 0:13:14but I didn't expect something like this.
0:13:14 > 0:13:16The finishing is poor.
0:13:16 > 0:13:20Almost looks as if they've been cobbled together by a novice.
0:13:20 > 0:13:22And the dentures didn't feel good, either.
0:13:22 > 0:13:27They're not fitting around the side here.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30You just want to keep
0:13:30 > 0:13:33pushing it up all the time.
0:13:33 > 0:13:37It feels like when you're at the dentist's and you've got a gag
0:13:37 > 0:13:41in your mouth, or something to stop your mouth closing.
0:13:41 > 0:13:44That's what it feels like.
0:13:45 > 0:13:49By now, the fake denture maker was gaining quite a reputation.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52A bad reputation, that is.
0:13:52 > 0:13:55Peter Greene from Devon Trading Standards had been inundated
0:13:55 > 0:13:58with similar complaints from other pensioners about the poor
0:13:58 > 0:14:01standard of Mr Sickelmore's work.
0:14:01 > 0:14:03This was a large-scale crime.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06It took place over two-and-a-half years,
0:14:06 > 0:14:09it targeted, we estimate, at least 160 people,
0:14:09 > 0:14:12and it made in the region of over £200,000.
0:14:12 > 0:14:17Peter's Trading Standards team carried out a full investigation
0:14:17 > 0:14:20and decided it was time to raid the so-called Denture Clinic,
0:14:20 > 0:14:22where Sickelmore was working.
0:14:22 > 0:14:25The team were horrified by what they saw.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28The facilities, to be quite frank, looked fairly appalling.
0:14:28 > 0:14:31There was a small cooker with what looked like an old saucepan
0:14:31 > 0:14:34with some kind of industrial product in it,
0:14:34 > 0:14:38which was being used for the manufacture of the dentures.
0:14:38 > 0:14:42It was effectively a laundry room in someone's house.
0:14:42 > 0:14:44It should never have been described as a dental clinic.
0:14:44 > 0:14:48This laundry room lab was less than sterile.
0:14:48 > 0:14:53We found and photographed a bin which was full of casts.
0:14:53 > 0:14:55Those casts were supposed to be one use only
0:14:55 > 0:15:00and yet the suspicion we have is they were being reused.
0:15:00 > 0:15:04We showed Laura Hempstead and Sylvia Harrington photographs
0:15:04 > 0:15:07of the makeshift laboratory where their dentures had been made.
0:15:07 > 0:15:11This is... It's disgusting.
0:15:11 > 0:15:13I feel sick.
0:15:13 > 0:15:16It is absolutely filthy.
0:15:16 > 0:15:20Well, there's certainly nothing sterile in that environment.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23When I think of my husband's immune system
0:15:23 > 0:15:27and to look at that, thinking he's put something in his mouth
0:15:27 > 0:15:29that's been in there. Urgh!
0:15:32 > 0:15:33It's disgusting.
0:15:35 > 0:15:39Later, we see the true dangers of the shoddy dentures.
0:15:39 > 0:15:41Certainly an opportunity for cross-infection.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44Hepatitis...
0:15:44 > 0:15:48And amazingly, we catch up with the faker himself.
0:15:48 > 0:15:50You're going to get some discomfort.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53You can buy a pair of shoes from Clarks, precision-fitting shoes -
0:15:53 > 0:15:56you'll walk down the road, you might get a blister.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08Greater Manchester Police have joined forces with Trading Standards
0:16:08 > 0:16:12to crack down on counterfeit clothes in the city's Strangeways area,
0:16:12 > 0:16:15known as the counterfeit capital of the North.
0:16:15 > 0:16:19They've raided a shop suspected of openly selling counterfeit clothes
0:16:19 > 0:16:22to anyone who walks in off the high street.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25It's obviously blatant, this is on the main road into Manchester,
0:16:25 > 0:16:29blatantly selling counterfeit items as you can see in the window
0:16:29 > 0:16:30and people passing by.
0:16:30 > 0:16:35The officers meticulously bag and tag every counterfeit item.
0:16:35 > 0:16:39All of a sudden, Darren finds something remarkable upstairs.
0:16:39 > 0:16:42Gee whiz, look at that!
0:16:42 > 0:16:44Wherever you look, Adidas.
0:16:45 > 0:16:47Adidas...
0:16:47 > 0:16:51It's going to take about three or four hours to clear this.
0:16:51 > 0:16:55And there are boxes here full of tracksuit wear.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58And as you can see, there's quite a significant amount
0:16:58 > 0:16:59just stacked up here.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02Now, with thousands of fake items to go through,
0:17:02 > 0:17:06the officers think they've found everything this shop has to offer.
0:17:06 > 0:17:08But they've missed something right under their noses.
0:17:08 > 0:17:11Just have a look in there.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14Basically, what's upstairs. is a similar quantity of goods.
0:17:17 > 0:17:22Janet decides to take a closer look at the subterranean Aladdin's cave.
0:17:22 > 0:17:24Another huge area of storage
0:17:24 > 0:17:25that you might not have known was here,
0:17:25 > 0:17:29because the trap door upstairs wasn't really visible
0:17:29 > 0:17:31when we first came in.
0:17:31 > 0:17:33Not only are there fake goods on the ground floor
0:17:33 > 0:17:36and the room upstairs, in the cellar as well they're using it
0:17:36 > 0:17:39as an area of storage for counterfeit goods.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42As you can see, more Ugg boots down here.
0:17:44 > 0:17:48- Bag after bag of fake goods goes- into- the back of a lorry,
0:17:48 > 0:17:51nearly 4,000 items of counterfeit merchandise.
0:17:51 > 0:17:56Almost a quarter of a million pounds' worth of gear.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59Of the two men arrested, one pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentence.
0:17:59 > 0:18:02And the other is due for trial.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05It's a resounding success for the team.
0:18:13 > 0:18:17We've already seen how fake energy-saving plugs were being sold
0:18:17 > 0:18:20to unsuspecting members of the public across the country,
0:18:20 > 0:18:23for a whopping £99.
0:18:23 > 0:18:27Tests proved they don't save you hundreds off your electricity bill,
0:18:27 > 0:18:30but that's not the most frightening thing about them.
0:18:34 > 0:18:36Fake Britain decided to test the safety of the plugs
0:18:36 > 0:18:39with Ray Jefferis, at Intertek testing labs.
0:18:39 > 0:18:40First, he wants to see
0:18:40 > 0:18:44if the plug actually fits into a UK plug socket safely.
0:18:44 > 0:18:46What should happen is the pins
0:18:46 > 0:18:50should be poking through these holes.
0:18:50 > 0:18:52And it's not.
0:18:52 > 0:18:55This is why we're concerned that if you plug it in,
0:18:55 > 0:18:58it may not make proper contact and could overheat
0:18:58 > 0:19:01the pins to a point where they could catch the product on fire,
0:19:01 > 0:19:03or the socket could catch on fire.
0:19:03 > 0:19:07The short pins are the first sign that this plug is a fire risk.
0:19:07 > 0:19:11But to make sure, Ray needs to carry out two crucial safety tests.
0:19:15 > 0:19:18The first test mimics an electrical short circuit to see how
0:19:18 > 0:19:21the plug might react.
0:19:21 > 0:19:26With the wires stripped and soldered and the plug firmly in,
0:19:26 > 0:19:28it's time to flick the switch.
0:19:28 > 0:19:32A regular plug should be able to cope with a short and shut down.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40Whoa!
0:19:40 > 0:19:43We heard the bang.
0:19:43 > 0:19:45Let's see what's happened.
0:19:45 > 0:19:46It doesn't look good.
0:19:46 > 0:19:48It was such a bang, it's actually knocked out
0:19:48 > 0:19:50the main breaker downstairs.
0:19:50 > 0:19:53The air inside the product has become conductive,
0:19:53 > 0:19:55to a point where it's expanded
0:19:55 > 0:19:58and exploded and blown the product open.
0:19:58 > 0:20:01And the plug is now dangerous to handle.
0:20:01 > 0:20:04If somebody tried to get that out after this had happened,
0:20:04 > 0:20:06they could touch the live parts inside here
0:20:06 > 0:20:08and get an electric shock.
0:20:08 > 0:20:11This product, it's possible it could kill somebody.
0:20:11 > 0:20:15The plug has failed the electrical test dramatically.
0:20:15 > 0:20:18There's still the flammability safety test to do.
0:20:18 > 0:20:22The plastic on a normal and safety-compliant plug is made
0:20:22 > 0:20:25in such a way that it would extinguish any flames on it
0:20:25 > 0:20:27in 30 seconds.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31But what will the fake plug do?
0:20:31 > 0:20:35Things are hotting up to 850 degrees centigrade.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42Minutes later, has the plastic stopped burning?
0:20:42 > 0:20:44No. It's a mini fireball.
0:20:44 > 0:20:47That's another test failed.
0:20:47 > 0:20:50It's just going to burn, probably set the rest of your house on fire,
0:20:50 > 0:20:52depending on where it's been plugged in.
0:20:52 > 0:20:55You can see from the results of those flames
0:20:55 > 0:20:57it's not going to extinguish itself.
0:20:57 > 0:21:00It's another breathtaking safety failure for the plug
0:21:00 > 0:21:04as it continues to burn past the nine-minute mark.
0:21:04 > 0:21:06Would you pay £99 for a fire risk?!
0:21:08 > 0:21:12You know, and that's what it is, a fire risk.
0:21:12 > 0:21:15So we now have an explosion hazard and a fire risk.
0:21:15 > 0:21:18You could come back and find your house on fire or burned down.
0:21:18 > 0:21:20It could happen.
0:21:23 > 0:21:24And it did happen.
0:21:24 > 0:21:28Fire investigator Stuart Mortimore came face-to-face
0:21:28 > 0:21:32with the potentially lethal shortcomings of these bogus plugs.
0:21:32 > 0:21:36He thinks the instruction manual alone is a cause for concern.
0:21:36 > 0:21:38"When using, please be careful
0:21:38 > 0:21:41"when plugging into the sockets. Don't be too rude."
0:21:42 > 0:21:45So, now we know.
0:21:45 > 0:21:48But Stuart knows the plugs themselves are no laughing matter.
0:21:48 > 0:21:51He investigated the case of a woman who bought
0:21:51 > 0:21:54and used one of these fake energy-saving plugs.
0:21:54 > 0:21:58Leaving the device plugged in day and night, she went away on holiday.
0:21:58 > 0:22:00Returning home, she found the plug had caught fire
0:22:00 > 0:22:03and ruined her house.
0:22:03 > 0:22:07Because the smoke permeated through the entire floor,
0:22:07 > 0:22:11it had rendered the property uninhabitable, and it resulted
0:22:11 > 0:22:14in much of the contents of the property
0:22:14 > 0:22:16being effectively laid waste.
0:22:16 > 0:22:18The damage was so severe
0:22:18 > 0:22:21that the victim had to move out for six weeks.
0:22:21 > 0:22:24There was severe charring at the socket itself.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27There was nothing else in the vicinity of that socket
0:22:27 > 0:22:30other than the energy-saving box
0:22:30 > 0:22:33and therefore, it was evident to me
0:22:33 > 0:22:36that the only potential source of ignition
0:22:36 > 0:22:39was either the box or the socket itself.
0:22:39 > 0:22:41Stuart needed to check whether the fire had been caused
0:22:41 > 0:22:46by the plug socket or the energy-saving plug.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49So he took away the remains of the socket for analysis.
0:22:49 > 0:22:54What happened in the house is that we had a failure in a component
0:22:54 > 0:22:58within the unit, and then this set fire to the device
0:22:58 > 0:23:03which could then drip and set fire to items on the floor beneath.
0:23:03 > 0:23:07And that is almost certainly what happened
0:23:07 > 0:23:09in the property that I visited.
0:23:09 > 0:23:14The homeowner was lucky to have been away when the fire broke out.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17What we have here is a device which, potentially,
0:23:17 > 0:23:19could cost them their lives.
0:23:26 > 0:23:29Earlier, we saw how pensioners in the south-west had spent hundreds
0:23:29 > 0:23:34and even thousands of pounds on dentures made by a faker.
0:23:34 > 0:23:37Keith Harrington's dentures didn't fit and cut his mouth.
0:23:37 > 0:23:41Laura Hempstead's set looked like a child had made them.
0:23:43 > 0:23:47We showed Keith and Laura's dodgy dentures to David Smith,
0:23:47 > 0:23:49a reputable dental technician
0:23:49 > 0:23:53and an expert witness in the court case against Stephen Sickelmore.
0:23:53 > 0:23:55- Good dentures, eh?- Beautiful.
0:23:55 > 0:23:59David knows quality when he sees it and when he doesn't.
0:23:59 > 0:24:02First up, Keith Harrington's dentures.
0:24:02 > 0:24:05This denture has many things wrong with it.
0:24:05 > 0:24:08It's housing foreign bodies that are actually inside the material.
0:24:08 > 0:24:10They could be bits of dirt from his laboratory.
0:24:10 > 0:24:13This is a very unsatisfactory set of dentures
0:24:13 > 0:24:16and as far as I'm concerned this would not have left my laboratory.
0:24:16 > 0:24:18I think anybody who paid over £1,000
0:24:18 > 0:24:21for something as poor as this has been ripped off.
0:24:22 > 0:24:25Keith Harrington has multiple sclerosis
0:24:25 > 0:24:28and these dentures could cause him serious medical problems.
0:24:28 > 0:24:32For a patient like Keith, this must have been really painful
0:24:32 > 0:24:35and could have caused ulceration
0:24:35 > 0:24:38and certainly infection inside his gums.
0:24:38 > 0:24:41This is quite a serious condition for him to have.
0:24:42 > 0:24:47Next up, Laura Hempstead's dentures - and a grim discovery.
0:24:47 > 0:24:50This material has started to absorb moisture from the patient's mouth
0:24:50 > 0:24:54and that moisture obviously contains bacteria
0:24:54 > 0:24:58from the mouth, naturally. But because it stays in there
0:24:58 > 0:25:02and can't get out, then that attracts a fungal infection that then
0:25:02 > 0:25:04starts to grow on the fitting surface of the denture.
0:25:04 > 0:25:08The dentures should never have been made like that.
0:25:08 > 0:25:10It could have caused serious illness.
0:25:10 > 0:25:14This type of fungal infection, if left on the denture long term,
0:25:14 > 0:25:17can lead to blood disorders for the patient.
0:25:17 > 0:25:19It's a very serious situation
0:25:19 > 0:25:21and needs to be addressed as soon as possible.
0:25:21 > 0:25:24David is shocked by the conditions
0:25:24 > 0:25:28he's seen in the Sickelmore house of horrors dental studio.
0:25:28 > 0:25:30There was used impression materials,
0:25:30 > 0:25:33certainly an opportunity for cross-infection going on,
0:25:33 > 0:25:36where different patients' materials were being mixed together.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39There was a chance you could take bacteria that was growing
0:25:39 > 0:25:42in one patient's mouth and transfer it to another patient.
0:25:42 > 0:25:46That could be hepatitis, that could be anything.
0:25:46 > 0:25:51Dentures are highly sophisticated medical devices.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54Making them requires sterile working conditions
0:25:54 > 0:25:56and specialised equipment.
0:25:56 > 0:25:58This is a case of fake dentistry,
0:25:58 > 0:26:00and any type of fake dentistry is serious for us
0:26:00 > 0:26:05because it's very important that patients have the protection
0:26:05 > 0:26:07of being treated and being supplied
0:26:07 > 0:26:10by people who are properly regulated
0:26:10 > 0:26:13to work within this profession.
0:26:14 > 0:26:20As judgement day arrived for Mr Sickelmore at Exeter Crown Court,
0:26:20 > 0:26:22Peter Greene from Devon Trading Standards
0:26:22 > 0:26:25was also present to give evidence for the prosecution.
0:26:27 > 0:26:30Sickelmore admitted illegally supplying dentures,
0:26:30 > 0:26:33supplying dentures that were poorly fitted and poorly made,
0:26:33 > 0:26:36and delays in dealing with complaints.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40He was sentenced to nine months in prison, suspended for two years,
0:26:40 > 0:26:43and 180 hours of community work.
0:26:43 > 0:26:47We caught up with Mr Sickelmore as he left court.
0:26:47 > 0:26:49'That's the end of me in the trade.'
0:26:49 > 0:26:52I've had a commercial laboratory years ago, you know,
0:26:52 > 0:26:55with apprentices under me, and now I'm in court
0:26:55 > 0:26:58for what I've been doing for so many years.
0:26:58 > 0:27:02I've worked in a top laboratory in St Helier, London...
0:27:02 > 0:27:06I've done work for Bristol Dental Hospital in the past.
0:27:06 > 0:27:08I've even done work
0:27:08 > 0:27:15for the Indian Royal Family years ago.
0:27:16 > 0:27:19So... I'm not a charlatan, I'm not an idiot.
0:27:19 > 0:27:22But as the court said, I done wrong.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25I should've been registered with the GDC.
0:27:27 > 0:27:31Sickelmore was totally unqualified to be treating patients.
0:27:31 > 0:27:36For Peter Greene and Devon Trading Standards, it's a good result.
0:27:36 > 0:27:39Mr Sickelmore will never again be able to carry on work
0:27:39 > 0:27:41in that particular industry.
0:27:41 > 0:27:45While Sickelmore's career fitting and making dentures is over,
0:27:45 > 0:27:50the financial and emotional nightmare continues for Keith and Sylvia Harrington.
0:27:50 > 0:27:53Having run out of money, Keith has no choice but to continue
0:27:53 > 0:27:57using his ill-fitting and potentially dangerous dentures.
0:27:57 > 0:28:02It will take them months to save up enough money to replace them.
0:28:02 > 0:28:06He's left us with financial, emotional,
0:28:06 > 0:28:08physical, medical problems.
0:28:08 > 0:28:13You name it, it's caused all that to us.
0:28:18 > 0:28:21That's all from Fake Britain today. Bye for now!
0:28:29 > 0:28:32Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd