FAKE headphones worth £250,000 have been seized from a Radcliffe property after a swoop by Bury trading standards officers.

The haul of more than 1,000 pairs of counterfeit ‘Beats by Dr Dre’ headphones was discovered after the council received an anonymous tip off.

Legitimate versions of the best-selling premium headphones, famed for their red ‘b’ logo and their popularity with celebrities, sell for more than £300 each.

Council investigations are still ongoing but no arrests have been made and the address of the property has not been revealed.

Lorraine Chamberlin, Bury Council’s head of environmental protection, said: “We urge consumers to boycott counterfeits – it is the only way to foil the global network of criminals which controls this hugely profitable trade in fakes.”

When Bury Council’s trading standards officers took a pair of the counterfeit ‘Beats’ out of their box to examine them, one of the ear pads instantly fell off.

Celebrities including Eminem, Katy Perry, Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, Thierry Henry and Cristiano Ronaldo have been pictured wearing the fashionable Beats headphones, sales of which now account for more than half the high-end headphone market.

Last year, Forbes crowned Dr. Dre the richest rapper in the US due to the popularity of ‘Beats’ – their sales now accounting for more than half the high-end headphone market.

Cllr Tony Isherwood, cabinet member for environment, said: “When times are hard, the search for bargain Christmas presents intensifies.

“It is very tempting when the latest electrical goods or fashion items can be found in stores or online at prices that seem too good to resist.

“However, these apparent bargains may not be all they appear and may not just be a rip-off but could also be harmful.”

Bury’s trading standards team say they have noticed that counterfeiters are increasingly selling goods on social media sites, and are urging residents to be cautious when buying from ‘buy, sell and swap’ Facebook pages or forums.

These sites give no protection for the buyer and mean the seller may not even be using their real name or address.

The authority has put out a warning to the public reminding them of the potential danger fakes can cause.

Counterfeit spirits can contain extremely high levels of methanol which can cause blindness and fake hair straighteners can injure the user or destroy their home by catching fire.

Fake cigarettes commonly contain sawdust, plastic, animal faeces and formaldehyde and fake power tools and chargers for phones and game systems can explode or fatally electrocute the user.

  • Anyone who suspects items being sold locally are fakes can tip off trading standards on 08454 040506 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.