Condom crisis: Thousands of fake johnnies at large across the UK

You could be at risk as hundreds of thousands of bogus condoms are being sold around the country. 

What’s more, over 12,000 have been seized this month alone as part of a national crackdown on fake meds.

Playing the field means you should use ashield, but over 60,000 phony condoms are thought to have been sold in Liverpool alone since last September.

 

Despite being labelled as Durex’s Extra Safe, Featherlite and Elite brands, a huge number of the contraceptives were discovered to be fake as part of an investigation by The Sun.

If bought from market stalls or unknown sites, the condoms are thought to be made from cheaper materials and are therefore more likely to split.

For importers, fake love gloves can be bought for as little as 20p for a pack of 12, while they’d usually set you back a pricey £7.99 in shops.

But legit condoms are usually free at Fresher’s Fair, local clinic and from union welfare office.

12,187 shoddy condoms were seized by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) this month.

Danny Lee-Frost, MHRA head of operations, warned: “If you use these, you are playing a game of Russian roulette.

“These condoms are not going to work and they won’t protect against pregnancy or sexually-transmitted diseases.

“They will cut costs. They will use cheaper ingredients and materials.

“It is a particular worry when it comes to HIV transmission.”

A staggering 10,000 fake condoms were seized in Sheffield alone this week after a man was allegedly bulk buying and shipping them over from China.

 

NHS Consultant Patrick French said: “Anyone using these condoms is putting themselves at  much higher risk of unplanned pregnancy or sexually transmitted infections like gonorrhea or chlamydia.

“The Durex trademark holder, Reckitt Benckiser, has done tests on these and found they fail every test they put them through – they burst and break.

“The condoms have a CE mark on them, which is the European Certification mark, but they haven’t actually been tested. These condoms are not going to work and they won’t protect against pregnancy or sexually-transmitted diseases.”

A spokeswoman for Durex told The Tab: “Counterfeiting is not a victimless activity, and one which we take very seriously as counterfeit products do not undergo all of the stringent tests or regulatory requirements in place to ensure user safety and product effectiveness.

“Condom users can have confidence however that they are purchasing genuine products if they buy from reputable retailers who are supplied either direct from the manufacturer or through recognised wholesale outlets.

“Our advice to anyone who is concerned that they may have purchased a counterfeit product is that they return it to the place of purchase and inform their local Trading Standards office.”

 

This came as part of a global clampdown massive drugs haul Operation Pangea – no not the Manchester Uni club night.

It revealed enterprising Brits are buying dodgy Johnny’s over Ebay and other illicit sites.

As a result, nearly £16 million worth of counterfeit and unlicensed medication has been seized in the UK alone this month.

This included two million impostor erectile dysfunction pills and cancer drugs bought by bodybuilders, apparently to gain muscle.