Counterfeit Mulberry and Louis Vuitton goods are openly on sale at Appleby Horse Fair despite police presence
Counterfeit designer goods were sold openly at Appleby Horse Market today as police looked on and trading standards seemed to be nowhere to be seen.
MailOnline discovered eight stalls selling suspected fake goods, including designer handbags, sunglasses and clothing.
The stalls all seemed to be doing a good business as customers picked up goods sold at a fraction of the retail price of genuine designer items.
The market is a central feature of the historic annual horse fair which attracts over 40,000 visitors, including 30,000 travellers, effectively taking over the market town of Appleby-in-Westmorland, Cumbria.
The vast majority of stalls in a huge field on the edge of town are legitimate, selling everything from household items and caged birds to riding accessories and children’s toys.
At one point a reporter watched as two Cumbrian police officers went to speak briefly to staff at two of the market stalls apparently selling suspicious items, but left after a few moments.
Police officers speak to an employee at a market selling counterfeit designer goods at the Appleby Horse Show
The horse fair attracts more than 40,000 visitors, including 30,000 travelers
The Cumbrian market is a central feature of the historic annual horse fair
Eight stalls are suspected of selling fake goods, including designer handbags, sunglasses and clothing
As the officers walked away after previously patrolling the market area, the reporter asked whether the goods for sale appeared genuine, and one of them replied with a smile, “I’m not sure.” I have no idea’.
A female stallholder at the market sold a range of fake bags masquerading as Mulberry, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Chloe, Burberry, Fendi, Gucci and Vivienne Westwood.
The reporter watched a teenage girl pay £35 cash for a black Vivienne Westwood-branded bag hanging at the back of the stall.
The woman on the stall then took out her price list and told the reporter that Chanel bags cost £45, while small Fendi bags and Burberry bags cost £55.
When the reporter asked, “I guess they’re not entirely sincere,” the woman laughed and replied with a smile, “No.” She giggled and added, “I don’t think there’s anything in this fair.”
But the woman insisted the range of Waterford crystal, including the picture frames on sale in her stall, was all genuine, saying: ‘That’s all real.’
Another stall sold skimpy Louis Vuitton short-sleeved tops and matching women’s shorts, under signs saying they cost £30.
In addition to the outfits, there were black T-shirts and matching leggings decorated with the names of designer labels such as Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Moschino.
The stallholder said: ‘T-shirts on their own cost £15 each depending on which one you need. It depends if we have it. We have all sizes.’
When the reporter asked, “How real are they?”, a customer who had been in the middle of purchasing two items interjected and said, “He doesn’t know.” He’s just a worker.’
The stallholder smiled and agreed that everything he sold was ‘of good quality’.
One of the stalls police visited sold a range of sweatshirts and tops branded with Boss and Kenzo, as well as sunglasses, including some branded with Chanel and Rayban.
The exchange effectively takes over the market town of Appleby-in-Westmorland, Cumbria
The official Appleby stock website also speaks out against counterfeit goods, describing them as ‘poor quality, unreliable and sometimes unsafe’
According to annual assessment reports, there were no seizures of counterfeit goods between 2012 and 2016
One of the stalls visited by police sold a range of sunglasses, including some with Chanel (pictured) and Rayban inscriptions.
Staff said they were selling their ‘Boss’ tops for £45, and sunglasses for £15 each or £20 with chain.
When a reporter asked if they were all real, a stall employee joked: “Stolen” as customers laughed.
When a reporter later photographed some sunglasses and said he wanted to send photos to his daughter so she could choose, the exhibitor snapped, “No photos, no photos.”
The other stallholder who spoke to police was selling purported Louis Vuitton, YSL, Fendi, Gucci and Dior handbags, sunglasses and a selection of belts bearing Hermes, Burberry, Gucci and Louis Vuitton logos.
Another stall sold so-called designer bags, including Chanel ones, for between £80 and £100, while another sold so-called Dolce & Gabbana jackets and matching women’s shorts and overcoats.
Two teenagers also sat at a table selling a range of glitzy hair clips, including some with Chanel markings, for just £8 each.
The Appleby Horse Fair has its roots in travelers and gypsies using it as a marketplace to buy and sell horses, but has become more of a social event for members of the traveling community and a chance to meet old and new friends.
The fair allows people to ride on horseback and in horse-driven buggies along the main road in the town, and wash their animals in the River Eden next to the bridge in the center of Appleby.
Trading standards officials from Westmorland and Furness Council had previously hinted at this year’s fair that a crackdown on counterfeit goods will be launched.
Caterine Hornby, the council’s trading standards manager, released a statement last month warning traders and consumers to be wary of counterfeit goods.
She made no mention of clothing, but cited counterfeit alcohol, tobacco, perfumes, cosmetics and branded electrical goods as worrying, although MailOnline found none of these items were sold.
Despite police speaking to staff at the stalls, no further action was taken against those selling counterfeit items
The Cumbrian market is a central feature of the historic annual horse fair
Here’s a look at some counterfeit sunglasses brands. Here’s one pictured with the Ray Ban logo
Ms Hornby added: ‘Last year trading standards officers at the exchange found some evidence of counterfeit goods.
‘The problem is small-scale, but the risk of serious harm from counterfeit goods such as sunglasses that do not provide full UV protection, or from untested cosmetics, perfumes and electrical appliances is clear.
“Our message to traders and consumers is that it’s just not worth the risk.”
The official Appleby stock website also speaks out against counterfeit goods, describing them as ‘poor quality, unreliable and sometimes unsafe’.
It warns that any trader selling counterfeit goods on the exchange risks being fined up to £5,000 or imprisoned for up to six months at a Magistrates Court, or an unlimited fine or imprisoned for up to ten years at the Crown Court for infringement on trademarks.
Cumbria County Council Trading Standards officers had seized 2,400 counterfeit items from five stallholders who were removed from the fair’s premises in 2010.
The items, which included jewellery, sunglasses, clothes, trainers and handbags, would have been worth up to £270,000 if genuine.
The council was supported in its seizures by representatives of the Anti Counterfeiting Group of Trademark Holders, an association formed by retailers and manufacturers to combat those who deal in counterfeit goods.
The following year, official records show that 900 counterfeit items, worth £50,000 if genuine, were seized from four traders who had been removed from the site.
But according to the annual assessment reports, which are drawn up after each fair, there have been no seizures of counterfeit goods between 2012 and 2016.
The evaluation reports have since been changed and now do not mention any registration regarding counterfeit goods on the exchange.
John Greenbank, Cumbria County Council’s trading standards officer, said in 2010: ‘Profits from the sale of counterfeit goods support organized crime and reduce sales for legitimate clothing and sportswear manufacturers and retailers.
‘The market field at Appleby Fair is an additional part of this unique gypsy and traveler meeting.
‘It attracts professional market traders who are not gypsies and travelers from urban areas such as Glasgow, Greater Manchester and Birmingham.
‘Both the established community and the Gypsies and Travelers are keen for the Horse Fair to reflect its traditional heritage and in no way want undesirable elements to take advantage of this historic cultural event. This type of criminal activity is not welcome and will not be tolerated anywhere in Cumbria.”
Cumbria Police Assistant Chief Constable Jerry Graham added at the time: ‘We do not accept this type of activity in a town center and the same goes for Appleby Fair.
‘Gypsies, travelers and visitors spend a significant amount of money supporting the local economy in Cumbria and they have the right to know that the goods they buy are authentic and made to a good standard.’
