FANS of Star Wars are paying more than £30 to get their hands on pirate copies of the latest summer blockbuster.

Star Wars: The Phantom Menace isn't due to hit cinema screens until next months but local criminals are already cashing in by demanding up to £35 for pirated copies of the film imported from America and the Far East.

The videos, which are exchanging hands in pubs, clubs and corner shops in Preston, are said to be of good quality - but Trading Standards chiefs are urging fans not to buy them.

Jim Potts, trading standards chief officer, said: "While some copies may be quite good quality, as we go further and further along, and more and more people make copies, they are bound to deteriorate.

"The people who copy these films aren't out to satisfy the demand of viewers, they are doing it for a quick buck and there is no chance to return them if the video is faulty."

The latest Star Wars film is believed to have been downloaded from the internet on to special video CDs, and then transferred on to normal videos.

Copies have been seized across the country, and now the Federation Against Copyright Theft is also warning against buying the blackmarket copies. A spokesman said: "The copies we have seen are of very poor quality. Some people also sell blank videos with just a Star Wars cover."

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