ILLEGAL DVDs were seized from an Oxford car boot sale in the latest raid targeting organised crime gangs.

Police officers from the Blackbird Leys Neighbourhood Team and Oxfordshire County Council's Rogue Trader Unit raided a stall at The Big Ben's Car Boot Sale at the Kassam Stadium, Grenoble Road, on Sunday.

They found about 100 illegal pirate DVDs - including recent cinema releases such as 300 and Outlaw - on sale at one stall.

Officers also removed equipment used for measuring and weighing food in a separate operation which breached trading standards regulations.

It was the third major seizure of illegal goods on sale at the car boot sale in the past nine months.

Martin Wood, of the Rogue Traders Unit, said: "Car boot sales are a great way of recycling and getting rid of unwanted items. However if individuals continue to turn this habit into a business then they should expect to be treated the same as any other business in the High Street and should comply with the relevant laws.

"The county council's trading standards team will continue to take action against any business which fails to heed this warning."

Five members of the Blackbird Leys Neighbourhood Team and Police Support Community Officers (PCSOs) joined the operation and spoke to other retailers on the site advising them of the regulations.

Neighbourhood specialist officer PC Alex Shepherd said the raid was part of an on-going operation to disrupt the sources of funds for organised crime gangs.

He added: "We are trying to crack down on the people using car boot sales to fund other crimes.

"We are working with the community to try and keep the streets crime free."

The DVDs and faulty weighing and measuring equipment will be destroyed.

In February, a joint raid by police and trading standards found 300 counterfeit DVDs with a street value of £3,000, and fake trainers and other items of clothing.

Last summer, a similar raid at the Sunday car boot sale at the stadium in Minchery Farm uncovered 1,621 counterfeit film titles and 300 CDs on sale.

Richard Franklin, proprietor of Big Ben's Car Boot Sale, welcomed the previous raids.