by business editor Trevor Sturgess

Two men have been jailed for selling fake goods and dangerous electrical items at a Kent boot fair.

Farhad Khan, from Coventry, and Gardeep Singh Hopal, from Romford, were sentenced to eight and 10 months respectively, at Maidstone Crown Court.

It follows a lengthy investigation by Kent County Council Trading Standards as part of a crackdown on illegal practices at boot fairs across the county.

Some 1,500 items were seized by Trading Standards officers from a pitch being run by the men at a boot fair in Swanley.

Hopal had already received a suspended prison sentence under the Trade Marks Act from 2008.

The haul included hair-care sets that were unsafe because of the use of illegal plugs which themselves contained counterfeit parts, and the lack of insulation which could cause electric shock or injury.

KCC officers had already seized 400 counterfeit t-shirts at the same boot fair.

Given Kent's proximity to the London 2012 Olympics, officers are on the lookout for counterfeit Olympic goods being sold in the county.

Mike Hill, cabinet member for community services, said: "With the car boot season in full flow and the Olympics fast approaching, these sentences send out a stern warning to those traders who are, or are contemplating, dealing in counterfeit let alone dangerous goods as to what they can expect."