Counterfeit football shirts can carry dangerous risks due to their flammability and the effect of unregulated dyes on skin, a detective sergeant who has taken part in multiple raids on warehouses shipping fakes has warned. 

This summer's World Cup has seen a huge rise in the arrival of counterfeit jerseys to customers in the United Kingdom, with BBC Sport reporting that over £18million-worth of fake shirts and kits had been seized. 

Operation Bloxwich - a police enforcement effort focused on targeting counterfeit goods - is believed to have recovered over 220,000 pieces of merchandise ahead of the international tournament. 

One instance saw 1,618 kits belonging to boldfaced names including Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe recovered from a warehouse in Birmingham, but while the lower price point might provide an immediate attraction to fans, the risks of buying a counterfeit jersey are numerous. 

'I understand why people want to buy these shirts, people love football and the incentive is the lower price - but these shirts, they're not regulated and could be highly flammable,' Detective Sergeant Jamie Kirk said. 

'They have dyes in them which could be harmful to skin, particularly children's skin. While the cost is lower - and that's the attractive part - potential damages to you and the people making them is just far too high.'

After conducting a flammability test on a genuine kit and a counterfeit one, the difference was found to be stark, with a member of the team at Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service noting that the fake 'melted' almost immediately. 

'I really had to try and make the genuine one ignite and melt,' watch manager Dave Jackson added. 

Just a week ago, over 58,000 kits - including England and Scotland's World Cup jerseys - were seized in Edinburgh in the largest-ever capture of fake goods in the UK. 

An additional concern over the purchasing of fake kits comes through the goods often being used to fund organised crime. 

Following the raid, the Scottish Football Association shared a statement hitting out at the probability that the World Cup would lead to a rise in the distribution of counterfeit kits. 

'Aside from taking funds away from local community clubs, charities and key programmes... these items are typically poor quality and have often skipped rigorous safety tests,' the statement read. 

'They can be highly flammable, made with harmful dyes and can be linked to funding organised crime networks and human exploitation.

'We would strongly encourage Scotland supporters to opt for official merchandise – to protect them and Scottish football.'

But fans are correct to retain concerns about the pricing of jerseys, particularly for children. 

England's World Cup kit marked the most expensive Three Lions shirt ever, with junior kits priced at £114.99. 

One adult's stadium shirt was increased six per cent in price from Euro 2024 to £89.99, with a children's shirt priced at £69.99. 

Supporters who opted to have a name and number printed on the back would have had to pay up to an additional £60.