A NEW team of professionals will be brought together to help tackle the multi-billion pound trade in counterfeit goods in the UK.

Experts will work in various groups in a fresh attempt to crack the illegal sale of products ranging from fake CDs to designer clothes.

The new set-up forms part of a strategy for combating "intellectual property crime" unveiled by the Patent Office earlier this month.

At the forefront of the structure will be an "intelligence hub" which will gather information about counterfeit crime from trading standards, customs and police across the country.

It will feed the results into four sub-groups with specific responsibilities for operations, training professionals, cross-border action, and publicity.

Phil Lewis, a senior policy officer at the Patent Office, said: "What it will do is enable the local response to intellectual property crime to be co-ordinated on a regional and national level."

The structure is expected to be operational by next January.

Swindon trading standards continually police the counterfeit goods market and always prosecute.