INVESTIGATORS found more than 1,000 counterfeit football badges when they raided a Colne company, a court heard.

Ex-director Emma Coe has now been fined £1,000 after fake Chelsea FC, Stone Island and UEFA Euro 2004 Portugal badges were discovered when the Spring Lane premises of Zencoe Ltd were searched.

The badges could be sold on the internet for £5 each and people could be put out of work when trademarks were "hijacked" in a bid to cash in on brandnames, Burnley magistrates heard.

Coe, said to have "inherited" the firm from her father and who was then the sole director, would not co-operate with trading standards officials, it was claimed.

But she admitted three allegations of possessing goods with a false trade mark for sale or hire on May 25 2004 and a further count on October 5 2004. The defendant, of Pinewood Drive, Nelson, must also pay £750 costs. Six similar allegations were dropped. Zencoe Ltd is facing 10 counts of possessing goods with a false trade mark.

Nicholas McNamara, prosecut-ing for the Trading Standards Department, told the court after information received officers, together with representatives acting for the English Football Association went to Zencoe Ltd, which produced and sold football clothing and memorabilia. They were said to have found a large quantity of counterfeit merchandise.

Coe played an active part in selling the fake badges on the internet. Mr McNamara said in October, officers went to Botany Bay retail outlet in Chorley and found unauthorised UEFA Euro 2004 Portugal badges were still being sold. Nearly 300 badges were seized. Coe held the licence to run the stall.

A number of efforts were made to interview her and culminated in letters containing interview questions under caution. All efforts came to nothing.

Ben Leach, defending, said Coe became a director of her father's company on April 7 2004, six weeks before the trading standards seizure.

Mr Leach alleged many of the practices and many of the goods that were in the company's possession were in place long before Coe took the directorship but she accepted she was responsible for the offences.