Fake apples and Viagra outstrip Gucci

AT least one-in-every 20 goods on sale is a fake according to the latest figures from the European Union. The counterfeiters have never been as busy, having decided to swap quality for quantity.

Fake Gucci and Tommy Hilfiger are a thing of the past. Instead Viagra, apples, children's toys and soap have taken their place.

"Everything that can be sold is now being copied," EU customs commissioner Laszlo Kovacs said yesterday releasing the latest figures.