Trading Standards officer Richard Lindley with Bolton Cllr Guy Harkin

TRADING standards officers have seized Bolton's biggest ever haul of pirate video films.

Officers swooped on a private home in the Breightmet area, uncovering a stash of thousands of movie hits on tapes, DVDs and laser discs with a street value of more than £55,000.

The raid followed an undercover surveillance operation by members of FACT, the Federation Against Copyright Theft.

Officers entered the house just after 9am yesterday to find 25 video recorders linked up to copy tapes, along with nine DVD players, three televisions, three amplifiers, two DVD convertors and one enhancer.

It is understood the haul of films includes pirate copies of latest blockbusters such as Chicken Run, Stuart Little and Gone in 60 Seconds.

A Bolton Council spokesman said: "As regards fake films, this is our biggest haul. Three bedrooms were full of tapes along with tapes in the lounge area and elsewhere in the house.

"These films cost the industry dear but more so they affect the legitimate profits of local film retailers in the area."

Today trading standards officials confirmed one man had been arrested at the Bolton address and was still being quizzed at Astley Bridge police station about the seizure. As seven trading standards officers and four police officers raided the residential address colleagues in Manchester struck at a retail unit where the pirate films had been sold.

Today trading standards officials confirmed one man had been arrested at the Bolton address and was still being quizzed at Astley Bridge police station about the seizure.

The fake films have now been transferred to a secret secure store in the Bolton area, where they will be kept as evidence.

A spokesman for FACT welcomed the successful operation adding: "We're delighted with this result and the help which has been given to us by trading standards officers from Bolton and Manchester."