BOOTLEGGERS who were making up to £800 a day from selling fake DVDs have been jailed by magistrates in Bolton.

Michael William Leonard and Tristan Alan Wildman, both aged 25, set up a stall at the Lever Street car boot sale selling hundreds of counterfeit top name films.

Leonard, a father-of-three from Barry Crescent, Little Hulton, and Wildman, of Manchester Road, Little Hulton, were caught with more than 600 fake DVDs in a joint operation between Bolton trading standards and the police. Andrew Morris, prosecuting on behalf of Bolton Council, told the court how trading standards officers visited the car boot sale at Lever Street at 8am on September 26 last year and found Leonard and Wildman standing behind a makeshift stall loaded with 443 DVDs. A further 200 DVDs were also found in a car.

The pair were selling the films for £4 each or four for £10 and included hits such as Stepford Wives, Austin Powers, Ocean's 11, X-Men and Star Wars.

Some of the movies, such as Anchorman, King Arthur and Hellboy had not even been officially released on DVD in the UK.

The court heard how the pair were arrested and taken to Astley Bridge police station where they immediately admitted offences under the of the Trademarks Act 1994. They were each charged with 19 offences under the act.

Leonard told police how he had bought the DVDs in bulk for 50p each and then downloaded the covers off the internet, printing them out and packaging them in plastic boxes.

Amanda Hahn, defending Leonard, said both men were of previous good character but had seen selling the DVDs as a way of getting out of debt.

Magistrates ordered that they should each serve 15 days in jail, served over five weekends at Kirkham Open Prison and remain on licence to the probation service for 14 weeks.

The pair will also each have to pay £436 costs and magistrates ordered that the DVDs and related equipment be confiscated.