A MARKET trader who sold dozens of fake designer clothes at Stow Fair has been ordered to repay £55,000.

Satpal Singh, aged 51, of Hill Road, Rochester, took a van load of 274 items of clothing bearing counterfeit designer labels to the twice-yearly event on May 10 last year.

Police and trading standards officers pounced soon after he set up stall and last September he admitted six offences of selling counterfeit goods and was sentenced to do 120 hours of unpaid work.

He was also placed under supervision for 18 months.

On Wednesday he was back before Gloucester crown court under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

Alan Fuller, prosecuting for Gloucestershire Trading Standards, said it had been agreed with the defence that Singh's criminal benefit was £46,705.

Singh had more than enough assets to repay that sum in full as well as prosecution costs of £8,295, he said.

Judge William Hart made a formal order certifying Singh's benefit from crime and gave him six months to pay the money - or face a 15 months jail term.

At Singh's sentencing hearing the court was told the real value of the clothing he was selling that day was £7,000 - but because of the fake designer labels he stood to make £29,000 from it.

He had a record of 14 previous offences since 1978 including a conviction for possessing 167 items of clothing with counterfeit labels in 2009.

His defence barrister at that time described him as a hard-working man with four children who had been a market trader for 30 years.

Eddie Coventry , Head of Trading Standards, said: “The Proceeds of Crime Act was passed to ensure criminals don’t benefit from their activities and this order goes to show that crimes like this simply don’t pay.

“Where it is shown that offences are committed in Gloucestershire, Trading Standards officers will endeavour to use all the powers at their disposal to pursue offenders.”

Councillor Will Windsor-Clive, Gloucestershire County Council cabinet member responsible for Trading Standards, added: “I’m delighted that the hard work Trading Standards has put into this investigation has had a positive result.

“In these cases, prosecution is often only the beginning, and officers will work hard to ensure that criminals don’t benefit from their crimes.”