Counterfeit clothing worth £25,000 has been re-branded and will be distributed to good causes throughout the UK, thanks to Hackney Council and a Bedfordshire-based charity.

Hackney Council’s Trading Standards team has a duty to protect the consumer rights of residents and shoppers in the borough, and regularly conducts counterfeit seizures. The £25,000 consignment was seized by Council officers during two operations this year, and while fake goods are normally destroyed to stop trade mark laws being broken, by donating the goods to charity, the Council has been able to both help those in need, and divert refuse away from landfill.

His Church Charity, which specialises in re-branding counterfeit goods and sending them on to other charitable organisations, received the goods on 27 September, and later that same day, delivered other items of re-branded clothing on to Stoke Newington s North London Action for the Homeless (NLAH) as a thank you to the Council for the donation.

The Hackney clothing – no longer adorned with illegal trademarks – will be donated to other good causes in the near future.

Councillor Demirci, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, says “We are pleased to be working alongside this charity to help others by donating clothing that would otherwise be destroyed. It s fantastic that this initiative not only benefits those who need our help and support, but also helps to protect the environment.”

Richard Humphrey, from His Church Charity, adds "Our relationship with Hackney Council can only be described as a win, win partnership. The Trading Standards team does a superb job do seizing illegal counterfeit clothes, and we are delighted to fully de-brand and re-brand the items, which means rather than being destroyed, they can directly benefit some of the most vulnerable people in Hackney."