It's gone 7.30am and a police officer is carving through a metal shutter in the shadow of Strangeways Prison. Amid the hum of traffic travelling into Manchester city centre, orange sparks fly and the sound of grinding metal fills the air.
After a while, the shutter is removed and a battering ram is used to smash through the front door of a shop. READ MORE: Suspect to appear in court almost two years after man killed in crash Inside lies a room filled with fake designer clothing, jewellery and bags.
Several police officers rush in and push through another door to reveal a warren of windowless units - each one filled with hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of counterfeit goods.
Walls and counters are lined with everything from Yeezy trainers to Louis Vuitton handbags, Apple AirPods and Rolex watches - all of which are suspected fakes and are about to be seized by police.
Read more on manchestereveningnews.co.uk