RANGERS and Celtic bosses have vowed to protect fans from fraud after the total of fake club jewellery seized in Blackpool and the UK rose to £100,00 this year alone.

In the latest haul Glasgow jeweller, David Saunders, was fined £3,000 after being found in possession of £30,000 worth of the counterfeit goods earlier this year.

Saunders, of Savoy Gold in the city, admitted to three charges of trademark offences after officials seized four Glasgow Rangers and one Celtic pendant.

The joint operation between Glasgow City Council and the Assay Office in Edinburgh also recovered a number of other gold items without hallmarks.

The Scottish premier clubs say they are now dedicating themselves to combating the problem of counterfeiting for the sake of the fans. Rangers director of retail, Nick Peel said: "Counterfeiting not only costs millions of pounds in lost revenue which can be invested in the club.

"But if left unchecked, counterfeiting also costs jobs in our shops and in the many businesses which make and supply genuine Rangers merchandise."

A Celtic spokesman said: "Celtic Football Club takes the infringement of its registered trademarks extremely seriously and will continue to ensure that all necessary steps are taken to protect these.

"We hope the outcome in this case will serve as warning to other people who are involved in the manufacture and sale of counterfeit Celtic goods that the trade will not be tolerated."