TRADING standards officers in Darlington are celebrating the seizure of counterfeit goods valued at £70,000.

The items were found on Tuesday in a raid by trading standards officers and police on a home in the Red Hall area of town.

Officers used powers under the Trades Descriptions Act and Tradesmark Act to confiscate the equipment.

Among the haul, which was so large that it had to be taken away in four vans, were computer monitors, keyboards, compact disc writers, PlayStations, digital video disc players and video cassette players.

Also seized were 1,000 blank compact discs and £3,000 worth of counterfeit compact discs. The total cost of the goods makes it the largest haul of its type found in Darlington.

Nigel Green, trading standards manager at Darlington Borough Council, described the operation as "very successful".

"We acted after police passed on information that counterfeit goods were being made and sold from these premises," he said.

"It was a very successful operation and it is certainly the largest haul of this type we have had in Darlington."

Mr Green said the individual behind the counterfeit goods was professional and well-organised.

Officers discovered compact discs which had been downloaded from the Internet and digital video discs which had been recorded from a computer.

Mr Green said: "We understand these goods were being distributed to people in the Darlington area for as a little as 3p a CD. There are a lot of issues at stake because as well as affecting traders who sell original goods, it is also hitting the artists who make the records.

"There is also the fact that the person who is behind this counterfeiting operation will not have been paying tax or National Insurance."

A man has been cautioned under the Trades Description Act and officers are carrying out further investigations with a view to possible prosecution.

After a successful prosecution, the trading standards department can apply for a confiscation order and then destroy the goods.