First UK 'fake shop' opens in Yeovil

The Somerset town of Yeovil in the UK has a new shop on its main shopping street - packed full of counterfeit and potentially hazardous goods.

The items are not for sale however, as the shop has been set up by Devon & Somerset Trading Standards to highlight the dangers of buying counterfeit goods. Among the items on display in The Fake Shop are counterfeit clothing and phony perfume and dodgy toy dolls.

The pioneering project is the first of its kind in the UK, and aims to give shoppers the unique opportunity to become 'Scampions' and discover the ugly truth behind the counterfeit goods trade, consumer scams and doorstep crime.

The shop has been opened to mark National Consumer Week, and also to provide advice to the public as people start to think about buying presents for the forthcoming holiday season. There is also plenty of help and advice available for genuine businesses to help them comply with the law.

Councillor David Hall, Somerset County Council's Cabinet Member with responsibility for Trading Standards, said: "The variety of items in The Fake Shop shows that it's not just DVDs and clothing that are counterfeited or mis-described."

"Electronics, food and drink, cosmetics, tools, car parts, jewellery and even fireworks can be cleverly disguised as genuine products when in reality they are cheaper substitutes that are often so poorly made they are unreliable at best, and more worryingly could be very dangerous."

More information on The Fake Shop - which has been set up with the help of consumer charities Impact Planet and ASTOP - can be seen at this Facebook page.