A record haul of more than 50,000 counterfeit designer goods, including clothing, handbags and hair straighteners, was confiscated during raids on 30 premises in London.

Detectives found clothing, footwear, handbags and hair straighteners during searches across the Greater London area yesterday.

The multi-million pound haul included brands such as Coach, Nike, Ugg, Gucci, Adidas, Versace, Ralph Lauren and GHD.

A total of £350,000 in cash was also discovered as six people were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud.

Investigators believe the counterfeit goods were smuggled into Britain and the United States in shipping containers from China and Malaysia.

The raids followed a trans-Atlantic investigation involving City of London Police and officials at the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Nine people in the US face prosecution for smuggling huge quantities of counterfeit goods into the country.

These include 120,000 pairs of Nike shoes, 500,000 Coach handbags, 10,000 pairs of Coach and Gucci shoes and 500 Cartier watches.

City of London Police Commissioner Mike Bowron said it is one of the largest seizures of counterfeit goods ever made.

He said: ''We have listened to the concerns of the business community which has resulted in a determined international effort to combat an aspect of financial crime which has far reaching implications for UK, the rest of Europe and the US.

''By working in close collaboration with the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency and the UK Border Agency we have made a significant breakthrough in this joint investigation.''

John Morton, of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said the smuggling and trafficking of counterfeit goods is a global problem.

He said: ''Only through our combined efforts will we be able to successfully confront this international challenge.''

Brodie Clark, of the UK Border Agency, said fake goods deprive the public purse of taxes and rip off the public.

He said: ''People who make the mistake of buying cheap copies might think they are getting a bargain, but they don't realise these goods are often dangerous and that the proceeds are often used to fuel serious organised crime.''

City of London Police said counterfeit crime cost legitimate British businesses £3.5 billion.

UK Border Agency officials have seized more than three million items suspected of infringing intellectual property rights over the past year.

The New York City fashion icon has filed six lawsuits against retailers on Harwin and one in Spring Branch to force the businesses to stop selling fake versions of its products. It's part of Coach's nationwide effort to crack down on counterfeiters, especially the ones making poorly crafted, obvious versions of their accessories.

“It's very detrimental to our brand,” said Todd Kahn, Coach's senior vice president and general counsel.

“It really undermines things that legitimate businesses try to do. We never want somebody to see somebody walking the street and say, ‘That's a Coach bag?'”

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More recently Coach has also expanded into other accessories and leather goods such as wristlets, coin purses, jewelry, perfumes, and even shoes.