MORE than 1,000 pirated CDs were confiscated when a house in Barrow Ford near Preston was raided by police and trading standards officers.

The raid, last week, followed a joint investigation with the Mechanical-Copyright Protection Society (MCPS) Anti-Piracy Unit, representing the UK's songwriters and composers.

As well as the CDs, computers, duplicating equipment and a quantity of counterfeit Sky viewing cards were seized. It is thought the illegal product was being manufactured for sale via the Internet.

One man will be questioned and will face possible charges under the Trade Marks Act (1994) and the Trade Descriptions Act (1968).

The raid is the latest in a country-wide MCPS investigation into the manufacture and supply of fake CDs.

Nick Kounoupias of the MCPS Anti-Piracy Unit said: "We are grateful for the continued support of trading standards departments and police in Lancashire. With their help, we will continue to seek out and prosecute those involved in the illegal copying of music.

"Music counterfeiting is not a victimless crime. Composers and songwriters -- many of whom are the not-so-famous names behind the success of today's biggest recording artists -- are cheated of their legitimate earnings from the sale of their work, and local retailers suffer when money is diverted from the legitimate Lancashire economy."

The MCPS Anti-Piracy Unit can be contacted on 020 7306 4053.

Members of the public with information about music piracy are asked to call, in confidence, the new Copyright Advice & Anti-Piracy Hotline on 0845 603 4567.