0:00:03 > 0:00:05Welcome to a world where nothing is as it seems.
0:00:05 > 0:00:08Welcome to Fake Britain.
0:00:08 > 0:00:11- Police! - SHOUTING
0:00:20 > 0:00:22- Get down! Get down! - On the floor now!
0:00:22 > 0:00:24Put your hands behind your back now.
0:00:24 > 0:00:27Here at the Fake Britain house,
0:00:27 > 0:00:30we'll reveal the fakes that are flooding the market,
0:00:30 > 0:00:34conning people like you and me and making money for the criminals.
0:00:34 > 0:00:37We'll investigate the fraudsters who are selling us something
0:00:37 > 0:00:39that isn't real and could be dangerous,
0:00:39 > 0:00:43and we'll help you avoid falling for a fake.
0:00:43 > 0:00:45Today, on Fake Britain,
0:00:45 > 0:00:50the fake life-saving equipment that got into the NHS...
0:00:50 > 0:00:53This would break under any serious pressure.
0:00:55 > 0:00:57Life lost.
0:00:57 > 0:01:01..the fake cigarettes hidden right under our noses...
0:01:01 > 0:01:02It was reinforced.
0:01:02 > 0:01:05When you see what was in the back of the van, you can see why.
0:01:05 > 0:01:09..and the chilling story of the fake ice cream vans.
0:01:09 > 0:01:11The quality of workmanship was shocking.
0:01:11 > 0:01:13Potentially a safety hazard going down the road.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23Here on Fake Britain, we're constantly amazed
0:01:23 > 0:01:26at the lengths the fakers will go to, to make money.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29Look at this. It's a Combat Application Tourniquet,
0:01:29 > 0:01:31used on patients who have a very real risk
0:01:31 > 0:01:32of dying through blood loss.
0:01:32 > 0:01:36They're carried by the military, the police and also ambulance crews.
0:01:36 > 0:01:37It may not look like much,
0:01:37 > 0:01:40but it could be the difference between life and death.
0:01:40 > 0:01:42This one, though, won't be saving any lives.
0:01:42 > 0:01:45It's highly dangerous because it doesn't work.
0:01:45 > 0:01:47It's a fake and, alarmingly,
0:01:47 > 0:01:51fakes like this have found their way into the NHS.
0:01:53 > 0:01:56Every single ambulance trust across the country
0:01:56 > 0:02:00has one of these critical pieces of life-saving equipment.
0:02:00 > 0:02:03It's a Combat Application Tourniquet,
0:02:03 > 0:02:04or CAT.
0:02:04 > 0:02:07Paramedics used the tourniquets to save lives
0:02:07 > 0:02:10during the Alton Towers roller-coaster disaster.
0:02:10 > 0:02:14This was one of the worst accidents ever on a theme park ride,
0:02:14 > 0:02:18leaving 16 people injured - including Leah Washington,
0:02:18 > 0:02:21whose left leg was badly crushed in the accident.
0:02:21 > 0:02:24Because I was so injured on the ride,
0:02:24 > 0:02:26I needed their skills to save my life, really.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29So, I was literally just bleeding to death
0:02:29 > 0:02:32and these tourniquets helped stop the bleeding.
0:02:34 > 0:02:38The main artery in Leah's leg was completely severed
0:02:38 > 0:02:39in the accident.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42X-rays taken at the time show where paramedics had to apply
0:02:42 > 0:02:46two CAT tourniquets to stop her from bleeding to death.
0:02:47 > 0:02:51You can see on one of the pictures of my left thigh
0:02:51 > 0:02:53how much pressure they're actually putting onto my leg.
0:02:53 > 0:02:56There's two darker shades,
0:02:56 > 0:02:59and that's where the two tourniquets were,
0:02:59 > 0:03:04and it's quite shocking, really, when you look at how tight it is.
0:03:05 > 0:03:07It looks simple,
0:03:07 > 0:03:09but the Combat Application Tourniquet
0:03:09 > 0:03:12has a patented design that makes it reliable
0:03:12 > 0:03:15and simple to use in an emergency.
0:03:15 > 0:03:18The tourniquets are made by Fenton Pharmaceuticals.
0:03:18 > 0:03:22Managing director Graham Hill showed us how they work.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25Here we have simulated gunshot wound to the thigh,
0:03:25 > 0:03:29and applying the tourniquet is easy.
0:03:29 > 0:03:33Take the tourniquet, put it on above the point of bleeding.
0:03:33 > 0:03:35Tighten up.
0:03:35 > 0:03:38Put through the buckle.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41And then tighten the windlass
0:03:41 > 0:03:46as required until the bleeding stops.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49The tourniquets can be bought online by first aiders,
0:03:49 > 0:03:52mountaineers and machine operators -
0:03:52 > 0:03:53in fact, anyone who might need one
0:03:53 > 0:03:56in their emergency medical kit.
0:03:56 > 0:03:59And they're used by paramedics across the country
0:03:59 > 0:04:02to save the lives of people injured in road accidents.
0:04:02 > 0:04:04Genuine tourniquets are rigorously tested
0:04:04 > 0:04:07and designed to be strong.
0:04:09 > 0:04:11A tourniquet is not a "I might put this on."
0:04:11 > 0:04:15It's, "I need to put this on or my casualty will die,"
0:04:15 > 0:04:20and, therefore, it has to work first time, every time.
0:04:21 > 0:04:22Since being introduced,
0:04:22 > 0:04:25the tourniquets have sold in their thousands,
0:04:25 > 0:04:28but now there are fakes on the market.
0:04:28 > 0:04:34I was at a trade show and I was approached by a Chinese gentleman
0:04:34 > 0:04:37and he said, "I've got something on my booth that I'd like to show you."
0:04:37 > 0:04:40And he very proudly showed me
0:04:40 > 0:04:44a very poor copy of the CAT tourniquet
0:04:44 > 0:04:47and tried to sell it to me.
0:04:47 > 0:04:49The tourniquet on offer was a fake version
0:04:49 > 0:04:53of the genuine patented Combat Application Tourniquet
0:04:53 > 0:04:57and was even being sold under the trademarked CAT name.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00It did have a CE mark on it.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03When I challenged the Chinese gentleman
0:05:03 > 0:05:05about the CE mark,
0:05:05 > 0:05:08he said, "Yes, that stands for Chinese export."
0:05:08 > 0:05:10The CE mark is a safety mark
0:05:10 > 0:05:14that shows a product complies with European safety legislation.
0:05:14 > 0:05:18But the CE mark on the fake CAT tourniquet was also fake,
0:05:18 > 0:05:21put on to fool buyers into thinking the tourniquet
0:05:21 > 0:05:23had been safety tested.
0:05:23 > 0:05:25I couldn't be more concerned about the fact
0:05:25 > 0:05:28that there are fake CAT tourniquets out there.
0:05:28 > 0:05:30Nobody is going to use a CAT tourniquet
0:05:30 > 0:05:34unless they really need to in extremeness,
0:05:34 > 0:05:38and that is not the time to have a device fail.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42Genuine CAT tourniquets have been engineered
0:05:42 > 0:05:45to withstand the extreme pressure they're put under
0:05:45 > 0:05:48when they're fully tightened to stop blood loss.
0:05:48 > 0:05:50Pull it through, apply the Velcro
0:05:50 > 0:05:54and then turn the windlass very, very tight.
0:05:54 > 0:05:56On the real tourniquet,
0:05:56 > 0:06:01it's designed to flex a certain amount
0:06:01 > 0:06:04so that it won't break.
0:06:05 > 0:06:09But how do the fake tourniquets hold up in an emergency?
0:06:09 > 0:06:15The risk of the windlass bar breaking here on the fake...
0:06:15 > 0:06:19There you go. You can see how easy that was to break.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23Andy Collen is a consultant paramedic
0:06:23 > 0:06:26with over 20 years' experience in the ambulance service,
0:06:26 > 0:06:29during which time, he's saved the lives of dozens
0:06:29 > 0:06:32of serious trauma victims.
0:06:32 > 0:06:33Patients that are badly injured,
0:06:33 > 0:06:36blood loss is one of the major causes of death.
0:06:36 > 0:06:38So, of course, you have blood in your body.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41It's best to keep that blood inside your body.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44Devices like the tourniquet help us to do that.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47We showed Andy how a fake tourniquet
0:06:47 > 0:06:50might perform in an emergency situation.
0:06:51 > 0:06:56Wow. The handle snaps very easily on the fake one.
0:06:56 > 0:06:57That's really quite alarming.
0:06:57 > 0:06:59The last thing you want to have happen
0:06:59 > 0:07:02to your patient is equipment fail, particularly if that failure
0:07:02 > 0:07:05can lead to a really bad outcome for patients.
0:07:05 > 0:07:09So, yeah, I'm pretty stunned and shocked with what I've seen,
0:07:09 > 0:07:13and I really hope that we don't see these fake products
0:07:13 > 0:07:15out there on the streets.
0:07:15 > 0:07:20Fake tourniquets like these are available for sale online.
0:07:20 > 0:07:22At Fenton Pharmaceuticals,
0:07:22 > 0:07:25it's Andrew Saunders' job to scour the internet
0:07:25 > 0:07:28and identify the fakes before anyone gets hurt.
0:07:28 > 0:07:32One, two, three, four, five, six, seven.
0:07:32 > 0:07:37Seven of the ten tourniquets for sale on this site are fake.
0:07:37 > 0:07:39And you can tell by the price.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41They're somewhat cheaper than the genuine article.
0:07:41 > 0:07:45But fakes aren't just being sold in small batches online.
0:07:45 > 0:07:47During filming,
0:07:47 > 0:07:50Fenton Pharmaceuticals made an astonishing discovery.
0:07:50 > 0:07:54Fake tourniquets had penetrated the NHS supply chain,
0:07:54 > 0:07:58potentially putting hundreds of lives at risk.
0:07:58 > 0:08:01One of my colleagues had a meeting with the Scottish NHS,
0:08:01 > 0:08:03the Special Operations Response Team,
0:08:03 > 0:08:07and this particular tourniquet was brought out
0:08:07 > 0:08:11and my colleague immediately saw it and said, "That is a fake CAT."
0:08:12 > 0:08:15The Scottish NHS team had inadvertently bought
0:08:15 > 0:08:182,000 fake tourniquets.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21Paramedics could've gone out in ambulances equipped
0:08:21 > 0:08:24with fake life-saving equipment.
0:08:24 > 0:08:27You can just imagine the scene where their response vehicles
0:08:27 > 0:08:30are driving round, they get called to a job,
0:08:30 > 0:08:32they go to work to save the life
0:08:32 > 0:08:36and the device breaks and the patient dies.
0:08:38 > 0:08:42Fenton Pharmaceuticals was concerned about other fake tourniquets
0:08:42 > 0:08:45being out there, and so they issued a press release
0:08:45 > 0:08:46urging organisations to check
0:08:46 > 0:08:49whether their Combat Application Tourniquets
0:08:49 > 0:08:50were for real.
0:08:50 > 0:08:52The response was shocking.
0:08:52 > 0:08:56We very quickly started receiving phone calls
0:08:56 > 0:09:01from a number of organisations who have purchased fake CATs
0:09:01 > 0:09:04and issued them to their staff.
0:09:05 > 0:09:09The National Ambulance Service of Ireland and ERS Medical,
0:09:09 > 0:09:12one of the largest independent ambulance services in the country
0:09:12 > 0:09:15supplying vehicles and staff to the NHS,
0:09:15 > 0:09:19both inadvertently bought fake, noncompliant CAT tourniquets
0:09:19 > 0:09:22which could've ended up in ambulances.
0:09:22 > 0:09:26Graham Hill showed us some samples that have been sent in.
0:09:26 > 0:09:28As soon as we received these,
0:09:28 > 0:09:31we were able to verify very, very quickly that they were fake.
0:09:31 > 0:09:36You can actually see quite easily that they're all different.
0:09:36 > 0:09:38ERS Medical told us...
0:09:47 > 0:09:48They say...
0:09:52 > 0:09:55All those who bought fake CAT tourniquets
0:09:55 > 0:09:56have recalled and replaced them.
0:09:56 > 0:09:58No patients have been affected,
0:09:58 > 0:10:01but Graham fears more fakes may still be out there.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04This will break under any serious pressure,
0:10:04 > 0:10:08and if these were all over the UK in ambulances,
0:10:08 > 0:10:10then potentially that's a life lost.
0:10:10 > 0:10:11I'll have a go.
0:10:14 > 0:10:16Life lost.
0:10:21 > 0:10:25The trade in counterfeit and illegal cigarettes in this country
0:10:25 > 0:10:27is estimated to cost the government
0:10:27 > 0:10:30more than £2 billion in lost revenue,
0:10:30 > 0:10:34and the battle between the criminals and HM Revenue & Customs
0:10:34 > 0:10:35is going on every day.
0:10:35 > 0:10:37Fake Britain has been to Manchester
0:10:37 > 0:10:39on a special HMRC operation
0:10:39 > 0:10:42to discover the extraordinary lengths the fakers will go to
0:10:42 > 0:10:46to hide their illegal stashes and carry on their trade.
0:10:48 > 0:10:50This morning, a major operation is underway
0:10:50 > 0:10:53to crack down on sellers of fake cigarettes.
0:10:55 > 0:11:00Andy Millican from HMRC is leading the operation.
0:11:00 > 0:11:02The area that we're visiting today
0:11:02 > 0:11:05has often been described as the counterfeit capital of the UK.
0:11:05 > 0:11:07Lots of the agencies have had
0:11:07 > 0:11:09problems over the last few years, including HMRC.
0:11:09 > 0:11:11We've got intelligence to indicate
0:11:11 > 0:11:16that there are illicit sales of tobacco
0:11:16 > 0:11:18in and around the area.
0:11:18 > 0:11:20Andy's team already knows
0:11:20 > 0:11:22the length that sellers of fake cigarettes will go to
0:11:22 > 0:11:25to conceal their illegal merchandise.
0:11:26 > 0:11:30The bottom of wheelie bins, fake cupboards,
0:11:30 > 0:11:33and that's the reason that we brought the dog with us today.
0:11:33 > 0:11:35Hopefully, with the dog,
0:11:35 > 0:11:38he's going to sniff out all these ingenious hiding places.
0:11:38 > 0:11:42Today, the team has information there's a new type of hiding place
0:11:42 > 0:11:46for fake cigarettes - one they've never seen before -
0:11:46 > 0:11:48and it's somewhere in this car park.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51They think that cars are being used like mobile safes -
0:11:51 > 0:11:55out of sight, securely locked and quickly movable.
0:11:55 > 0:11:58If there's any trouble, they can be driven away
0:11:58 > 0:12:00with the fake goods safely inside.
0:12:00 > 0:12:04The tobacco dog is looking for indicators of tobacco products.
0:12:04 > 0:12:06He's methodically going around the car park
0:12:06 > 0:12:07to check every single vehicle,
0:12:07 > 0:12:10and we'll see what they turn up when officers get to them
0:12:10 > 0:12:12and actually get into the vehicles and search them.
0:12:12 > 0:12:17And it's not long before the dogs sniff out something of interest.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20The tobacco dog has indicated that there's probably products in there.
0:12:20 > 0:12:22There's another one just further down.
0:12:22 > 0:12:26With a number of cars now under suspicion,
0:12:26 > 0:12:29it's time to see what's behind closed doors.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36Finally, their efforts are rewarded.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39So, this is the car that was indicated by the search dog.
0:12:39 > 0:12:41There is a quantity of cigarettes in there.
0:12:41 > 0:12:45There's also a quantity of cannabis that we found in the boot,
0:12:45 > 0:12:46along with dealer bags,
0:12:46 > 0:12:48so I suspect that the person's using this
0:12:48 > 0:12:50to store the drugs and the ciggies in, yeah.
0:12:50 > 0:12:55It appears this car is more than just a run around for its owner.
0:12:55 > 0:12:58My colleagues have just found an example here.
0:12:58 > 0:13:01Two packets of what we suspect to be illicit tobacco products
0:13:01 > 0:13:02which will be non-duty paid.
0:13:02 > 0:13:05This is kind of representative
0:13:05 > 0:13:08and a sample of the type of illicit tobacco product
0:13:08 > 0:13:10that HMRC is interested in today.
0:13:10 > 0:13:13The car park is being used as a stock room
0:13:13 > 0:13:18for nearby shops where the fake cigarettes are being sold.
0:13:18 > 0:13:19In one of the shops,
0:13:19 > 0:13:22the team has found even more suspected fakes.
0:13:22 > 0:13:26Packet of Mayfair here. Probably counterfeit. That's L&M.
0:13:26 > 0:13:31We suspect that... Well, that's not for the UK market. Simple as that.
0:13:31 > 0:13:33Fake cigarettes may contain
0:13:33 > 0:13:36even more dangerous chemicals than genuine ones,
0:13:36 > 0:13:38and some don't self extinguish,
0:13:38 > 0:13:41meaning they could cause house fires.
0:13:41 > 0:13:45Many fakes look so convincing that they can be hard to identify,
0:13:45 > 0:13:47but having seen so many over the years,
0:13:47 > 0:13:49Andy knows what to look for.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52It's the markings, really. You can see by some of the print.
0:13:52 > 0:13:56We'll get those formally checked when we get back to the office.
0:13:56 > 0:14:00Back in the car park, the tobacco dogs have found another vehicle
0:14:00 > 0:14:02thought to contain tobacco.
0:14:02 > 0:14:05We've gained access to the boot, and there, as you can see,
0:14:05 > 0:14:09looks to be a substantial amount of hand-rolling tobacco,
0:14:09 > 0:14:12which probably, we suspect, is counterfeit.
0:14:12 > 0:14:16I don't know how many tens and tens of packets are in there.
0:14:16 > 0:14:18So, that's obviously going to be seized.
0:14:18 > 0:14:20When the car has been fully searched,
0:14:20 > 0:14:22the enormous size of the haul becomes clear.
0:14:30 > 0:14:33And nearby, the officers have spotted a green van parked up
0:14:33 > 0:14:37that they'd like to take a closer look at.
0:14:37 > 0:14:38Stand back.
0:14:40 > 0:14:45This unassuming vehicle is actually a heavily-fortified mobile safe.
0:14:45 > 0:14:48It's the most secure the officers have seen so far.
0:14:48 > 0:14:52Just like a real safe, very hard to crack.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55As you can see, we're trying to gain entry to it at the minute.
0:14:55 > 0:14:57So, what we're just doing is we're just going to call
0:14:57 > 0:15:00for some assistance and make sure we get entry to it.
0:15:00 > 0:15:05The owner of the vehicle clearly doesn't want anyone getting inside.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09- Someone else want a go? - LAUGHTER
0:15:09 > 0:15:11After a battle with the door,
0:15:11 > 0:15:14the van is eventually forced to give up its secrets,
0:15:14 > 0:15:17and it's clear why it was so securely locked.
0:15:19 > 0:15:21So, what we've got here, opening this,
0:15:21 > 0:15:26is what we suspect to be counterfeit, illicit tobaccos.
0:15:26 > 0:15:29Obviously, several thousand in there.
0:15:29 > 0:15:30There's two of these,
0:15:30 > 0:15:33which we've just extracted from the back of this van
0:15:33 > 0:15:35that was clearly reinforced
0:15:35 > 0:15:40to prevent HMRC officers gaining easy access to it.
0:15:40 > 0:15:44The van was being used to store a huge number and variety
0:15:44 > 0:15:46of different tobacco products.
0:15:46 > 0:15:48- HE WHISTLES - Jeepers.
0:15:50 > 0:15:52Wow. Bit of a Pandora's box here.
0:15:52 > 0:15:56The different fake cigarette brands just keep coming...
0:15:56 > 0:15:59- Excellent.- ..and coming.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02Regals, Gold Classics.
0:16:02 > 0:16:04A real mix.
0:16:04 > 0:16:06I don't think we've seen these before.
0:16:06 > 0:16:09The team is surprised by the range of fakes they've found
0:16:09 > 0:16:13and the lengths to which the criminals have gone to hide them.
0:16:13 > 0:16:16Whoever's van this was, they've obviously been discerning
0:16:16 > 0:16:19to make sure that we're not going to break into it easily.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22I think the fact that it was reinforced says everything, really.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25When you see what was in the back of the van, you can see why.
0:16:25 > 0:16:29I mean, there's a substantial amount of suspected illicit tobacco here.
0:16:29 > 0:16:32So, for HMRC, it's a good result.
0:16:32 > 0:16:36It's clear that these criminals are making huge profits.
0:16:36 > 0:16:39This is one of the vehicles that we broke into earlier,
0:16:39 > 0:16:42found a substantial amount of hand-rolling tobacco in the boot.
0:16:42 > 0:16:45The officers have just now finished a search of the vehicle,
0:16:45 > 0:16:47but in the glove box, we've found some cash,
0:16:47 > 0:16:50which is approximately £2,000,
0:16:50 > 0:16:52so we're going to seize that under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
0:16:52 > 0:16:58The financial gains for the fakers are a huge loss for everyone else.
0:16:58 > 0:17:01These are suspected to be costing the UK economy
0:17:01 > 0:17:05about £2.1 billion every single year.
0:17:05 > 0:17:07But as a result of the operation that we've done here today
0:17:07 > 0:17:10and the type of thing HMRC does,
0:17:10 > 0:17:13we've halved the illicit trade market in recent years.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17Sellers of fake cigarettes thought they could get away
0:17:17 > 0:17:21with hiding their stock inside their cars, but it's backfired.
0:17:21 > 0:17:25Now they'll lose not only their goods but the cars too.
0:17:25 > 0:17:29And they haven't seen the last of the authorities.
0:17:29 > 0:17:30Today isn't a one-off.
0:17:30 > 0:17:33These type of actions by HMRC and our partners take place
0:17:33 > 0:17:36all over the country week in and week out,
0:17:36 > 0:17:39and we want to send a strong message to the public
0:17:39 > 0:17:41that we are actively cracking down
0:17:41 > 0:17:44on this kind of counterfeit and fraud.
0:17:48 > 0:17:50ICE CREAM VAN MUSIC PLAYS
0:17:50 > 0:17:52That is the sound of summer -
0:17:52 > 0:17:54a local ice cream van announcing its arrival
0:17:54 > 0:17:56for lots of hot and happy customers.
0:17:56 > 0:17:58I've got mine already, and this is real.
0:17:58 > 0:18:01Selling ice creams from a van can be good business,
0:18:01 > 0:18:04but the vans themselves are also big business.
0:18:04 > 0:18:06A new one costs around 60 grand,
0:18:06 > 0:18:10so it's no surprise the fakers want a scoop of the profits.
0:18:10 > 0:18:12Yes, believe it or not,
0:18:12 > 0:18:16they've even been faking our beloved ice cream vans.
0:18:16 > 0:18:19Have you bought your cone from a con van?
0:18:19 > 0:18:23ICE CREAM VAN MUSIC PLAYS
0:18:23 > 0:18:26It's a sound that transports many of us back to our childhoods -
0:18:26 > 0:18:30the music from an ice cream van that will serve up a Mr Whippy,
0:18:30 > 0:18:32Cornetto or whatever else takes your fancy.
0:18:35 > 0:18:36Anything else?
0:18:36 > 0:18:41There are now around 5,000 ice cream vans like this across the country,
0:18:41 > 0:18:44putting smiles and ice cream on our faces.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49But 90% of them are built by just one British company -
0:18:49 > 0:18:51Whitby Morrison of Crewe.
0:18:51 > 0:18:55The company was founded back in 1962 by Bryan Whitby.
0:18:55 > 0:18:57From humble beginnings,
0:18:57 > 0:19:00the company is now the largest manufacturer
0:19:00 > 0:19:03of ice cream vans in the UK, and it employs around 50 workers.
0:19:06 > 0:19:09And then on to this one, which is ready.
0:19:09 > 0:19:10Whitby Morrison is a family affair,
0:19:10 > 0:19:16with Bryan Whitby's son Stuart and grandson Ed now behind the wheel.
0:19:16 > 0:19:18From 1960, classic British heritage,
0:19:18 > 0:19:21to the modern fleet that people use today.
0:19:21 > 0:19:23It's just ice cream vans - we love them.
0:19:25 > 0:19:28And this is their flagship van - the Mondial.
0:19:28 > 0:19:30Bristling with technology,
0:19:30 > 0:19:32it has a distinctive fibreglass shell
0:19:32 > 0:19:35built onto a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van chassis.
0:19:35 > 0:19:37This one is due to go at the beginning of next week.
0:19:37 > 0:19:41Managing Director Stuart is proud of what the company has achieved.
0:19:41 > 0:19:43I joined the company in 1978,
0:19:43 > 0:19:46and basically I set out to build the Rolls-Royce of ice cream vans.
0:19:46 > 0:19:48That's what we're about,
0:19:48 > 0:19:52and Whitby Morrison is renowned as the very best vans out there.
0:19:52 > 0:19:54We just want to do simply the best.
0:19:54 > 0:19:56All in all, it sounds like
0:19:56 > 0:19:59a great British manufacturing success story,
0:19:59 > 0:20:01and business was going brilliantly
0:20:01 > 0:20:06until the day Operations Manager Ed was visited by some new customers.
0:20:06 > 0:20:0860 years old.
0:20:08 > 0:20:09We were contacted by a customer
0:20:09 > 0:20:12suggesting that they'd like to purchase the Mondial,
0:20:12 > 0:20:16our most popular model by a long, long way.
0:20:16 > 0:20:18He came to see us, placed the order, and thought,
0:20:18 > 0:20:20"Great. That's another one to add the schedule
0:20:20 > 0:20:24"and a great opportunity to produce another fantastic van."
0:20:24 > 0:20:28With a brand-new Mondial ice cream van costing over £60,000,
0:20:28 > 0:20:30the customers wanted to save money
0:20:30 > 0:20:33by providing their own van for Whitby Morrison
0:20:33 > 0:20:37to convert into one of their own unique fibreglass designs.
0:20:37 > 0:20:40They brought a Mercedes panel van for us convert,
0:20:40 > 0:20:41which is a big job.
0:20:41 > 0:20:44It's a fibreglass body, refrigeration,
0:20:44 > 0:20:46all sorts of work involved.
0:20:46 > 0:20:47And we built it, as we do,
0:20:47 > 0:20:51and they came along a couple of times and checked it during build
0:20:51 > 0:20:52and they took it away to Leeds.
0:20:52 > 0:20:56But not long after the clients left with their new van,
0:20:56 > 0:20:59Stuart and Ed began to hear some dark rumours
0:20:59 > 0:21:02about the true nature of their new customers.
0:21:02 > 0:21:05We were tipped off by a couple of people within the industry
0:21:05 > 0:21:07saying, "You do know that these people are looking
0:21:07 > 0:21:11"to purchase this van with a view to producing their own copies?"
0:21:11 > 0:21:13I thought, "No. Can't be possible."
0:21:13 > 0:21:16So, we approached the customer about it, invited them in for a meeting,
0:21:16 > 0:21:18said, "Look, we've heard these rumours.
0:21:18 > 0:21:20"We wouldn't expect that to be the case."
0:21:20 > 0:21:22"Oh, no, no. We wouldn't do anything of the kind.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25"We're just humble ice cream men. We just want to sell ice cream."
0:21:25 > 0:21:29But soon, Ed began to receive some worrying photographs
0:21:29 > 0:21:33of ice cream vans for sale on social media.
0:21:33 > 0:21:37We began to receive images from various people within the industry,
0:21:37 > 0:21:40and it turned out that these images posted
0:21:40 > 0:21:42were a blatant copy of a Whitby Morrison van.
0:21:42 > 0:21:46Whitby Morrison are all for a bit of healthy competition,
0:21:46 > 0:21:49but not when it comes to the faking of their vans,
0:21:49 > 0:21:54so they hired leading intellectual property lawyer Patrick Tedstone.
0:21:54 > 0:21:59In our business, you see all kinds of fake manufacture undertaken,
0:21:59 > 0:22:02but I don't think we'd ever seen something manufactured
0:22:02 > 0:22:06as a fake as large as these ice cream vans were.
0:22:07 > 0:22:09Patrick started to investigate
0:22:09 > 0:22:12how vans that looked very much like Whitby Morrison vans
0:22:12 > 0:22:16were being sold on social media.
0:22:16 > 0:22:19The primary method that the fakers had to sell these vans
0:22:19 > 0:22:22was people invited to join chatrooms
0:22:22 > 0:22:26to look at vans and to place orders.
0:22:26 > 0:22:29The next step was to find out where the ice cream vans
0:22:29 > 0:22:32were being made, so Patrick put together a team
0:22:32 > 0:22:35to track down the figures.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38When we got there, we could see lots of activity -
0:22:38 > 0:22:42ice cream vans coming and going and work going on.
0:22:42 > 0:22:47And we were really surprised by the level of the operation.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51The surveillance team kept a close eye on the premises,
0:22:51 > 0:22:53hoping to gather evidence that would prove
0:22:53 > 0:22:57that Whitby Morrison vans were being faked.
0:22:57 > 0:23:02A car was parked across the street and fitted with hidden cameras.
0:23:02 > 0:23:05But one day, the car went missing.
0:23:07 > 0:23:09There was just some glass on the pavement.
0:23:09 > 0:23:10We didn't know what had happened.
0:23:10 > 0:23:13The car turned up four days later. It had been trashed.
0:23:13 > 0:23:16The cameras were stolen. All the equipment was taken.
0:23:16 > 0:23:19We don't know who damaged the car,
0:23:19 > 0:23:21but it seemed like we had a real fight on our hands.
0:23:21 > 0:23:23We had to be careful with what we were doing.
0:23:23 > 0:23:25We had to be cautious about our approach,
0:23:25 > 0:23:27but we needed more information.
0:23:27 > 0:23:31Patrick's investigation team turned to photographic evidence
0:23:31 > 0:23:33to continue building their case.
0:23:33 > 0:23:36Fortunately, we had a private investigator on the scene
0:23:36 > 0:23:39and he took some detailed photographs.
0:23:39 > 0:23:40From that moment onwards,
0:23:40 > 0:23:43we could tell this was an exact copy.
0:23:43 > 0:23:45But how had the fakers done it?
0:23:45 > 0:23:47Creating the fibreglass shell of an ice cream van
0:23:47 > 0:23:50is a highly specialised job,
0:23:50 > 0:23:53and Whitby Morrison have worked hard to make sure their vans are safe.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56This is the beginning of the production process.
0:23:56 > 0:23:58This is the fibreglass moulding workshop.
0:23:58 > 0:24:02This is where all the vehicle bodies begin, lids, doors, water tanks.
0:24:02 > 0:24:05Fibreglass is poured into special moulds
0:24:05 > 0:24:07that give the van its final shape.
0:24:07 > 0:24:12A mould can take over six months and cost tens of thousands of pounds
0:24:12 > 0:24:14to develop from scratch.
0:24:14 > 0:24:16It's much easier and cheaper to copy one,
0:24:16 > 0:24:20even if there's no guarantee that they'll be as safe as the originals,
0:24:20 > 0:24:23and that's just what the fakers did.
0:24:23 > 0:24:27This is the Mondial mould that was copied by the defendants.
0:24:27 > 0:24:29Every little detail was copied.
0:24:29 > 0:24:32You see the veins within the side,
0:24:32 > 0:24:35the recesses at the rear for the number plate,
0:24:35 > 0:24:39for the lights within the roof, the space for the ventilation,
0:24:39 > 0:24:41the styling features.
0:24:41 > 0:24:45The fakers had copied the original Whitby Morrison design
0:24:45 > 0:24:47to the nearest millimetre.
0:24:47 > 0:24:51This is the most blatant example of one of the fake components.
0:24:51 > 0:24:55Absolutely everything here was reproduced identically,
0:24:55 > 0:24:58from the leatherette pattern to the number of diamonds
0:24:58 > 0:25:00featured down the centre.
0:25:00 > 0:25:03But the fakers hadn't just copied the design
0:25:03 > 0:25:05of the genuine Whitby Morrison vans.
0:25:05 > 0:25:09They even cashed in on the famous Whitby Morrison name.
0:25:09 > 0:25:11But when you combine the copying
0:25:11 > 0:25:14and you use the real manufacturer's name,
0:25:14 > 0:25:16then you're giving the product cachet and value
0:25:16 > 0:25:19both in the new market and in the second-hand market.
0:25:19 > 0:25:22And what these defendants were doing beyond any doubt
0:25:22 > 0:25:27was they were saying, "This is a Whitby Morrison van."
0:25:27 > 0:25:29The fakers were doing a roaring trade,
0:25:29 > 0:25:32selling the fans as fast as they could make them.
0:25:32 > 0:25:38We have evidence the defendants sold at least 30 fake vans.
0:25:38 > 0:25:40That equates to up to £2 million of fake vans sold.
0:25:40 > 0:25:43£2 million is a huge amount of money,
0:25:43 > 0:25:48even for a successful manufacturer like Whitby Morrison to bear.
0:25:48 > 0:25:50It wasn't just huge financial loss
0:25:50 > 0:25:53that Ed and Stuart Whitby had to contend with.
0:25:53 > 0:25:54There were real concerns
0:25:54 > 0:25:57about the safety of the fake vans out there.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00The fibreglass panels of an original Whitby Morrison van
0:26:00 > 0:26:02are rigorously safety tested.
0:26:02 > 0:26:05They're made to an approved European standard.
0:26:05 > 0:26:10And it was when one concerned customer contacted Whitby Morrison
0:26:10 > 0:26:14that the true danger of the fake ice cream vans became apparent.
0:26:14 > 0:26:16We had one van back here
0:26:16 > 0:26:18that had been built by the defendants,
0:26:18 > 0:26:20and the quality of workmanship was shocking.
0:26:20 > 0:26:24You know, potentially a safety hazard going down the road.
0:26:24 > 0:26:28Patrick finally had enough evidence to bring a High Court civil case
0:26:28 > 0:26:32against the Rubani family who'd been selling the fake ice cream vans
0:26:32 > 0:26:35through their company, Yorkshire Specialist Vehicles.
0:26:35 > 0:26:39The judge presiding over the case wanted to see the fakery
0:26:39 > 0:26:41with his own eyes.
0:26:41 > 0:26:44When you looked at the vans side-by-side,
0:26:44 > 0:26:46they were so obviously identical
0:26:46 > 0:26:48there was no way out for the defendants.
0:26:48 > 0:26:52They couldn't deny it any longer. They had to admit what they'd done.
0:26:52 > 0:26:55The court ruled that Yorkshire Specialist Vehicles
0:26:55 > 0:26:59had infringed the design and trademark of Whitby Morrison.
0:26:59 > 0:27:03They were ordered to pay £300,000
0:27:03 > 0:27:07and to return the moulds they'd used to make the fake vans.
0:27:07 > 0:27:09But that didn't happen.
0:27:12 > 0:27:14This is what was returned.
0:27:14 > 0:27:17They told the court that the van had been stolen
0:27:17 > 0:27:20and had been burned out by a third party.
0:27:20 > 0:27:24All we can say is that the engine from the van had been removed
0:27:24 > 0:27:27and the expensive ice cream machinery had also been removed
0:27:27 > 0:27:30before it was burnt out.
0:27:30 > 0:27:31We don't know what the truth was.
0:27:31 > 0:27:33Since the court case,
0:27:33 > 0:27:36Whitby Morrison have agreed to work with ice cream sellers
0:27:36 > 0:27:40who bought fake vans by issuing them licenses
0:27:40 > 0:27:42that make the vans legitimate.
0:27:42 > 0:27:44They've also managed to get hold of the moulds
0:27:44 > 0:27:46that were used to make the fakes.
0:27:46 > 0:27:50Today, they're being destroyed to make sure no fake ice cream vans
0:27:50 > 0:27:52can ever serve another ice cream.
0:27:52 > 0:27:55ICE CREAM VAN MUSIC PLAYS
0:28:04 > 0:28:06That's all from Fake Britain. Goodbye.