Fake World Cup shirts bound for Scotland seized

UK Border Agency officials have intercepted 1,000 fake international football shirts bound for Scotland ahead of the World Cup.

The agency said the counterfeit Algerian national team shirts were seized at East Midlands airport.

The Puma kit had been sent from the Far East and was destined for an address in Glasgow.

England are due to play Algeria in the World Cup on 18 June.

The seizures came during a week of action in the run-up to the World Cup - which begins on Friday - led by the UK Border Agency and supported by anti-counterfeit experts from Adidas, Nike, Puma and Umbro.

Since Monday, more than 3,000 fake shirts for countries such as England, France and Germany have also been seized at Coventry's international postal hub. It is thought that some of the shirts were destined for Scotland.

In 2009 more than 50,000 counterfeit replica shirts, worth about £1.2m, were seized by the UK Border Agency, police and trading standards.