THOUSANDS of pirated CDs, DVDs and videos seized from premises across Wirral are to be melted down and turned into ... goldfish bowls.

The bootleg goods, which would be worth a small fortune on the black market, will now be recycled along with all their paper and packaging.

The initiative is being run by Wirral council's trading standards department, which has teamed up with Scrap Plastic Solutions to provide the environmentally friendly way of disposing of counterfeit products instead of the items being destroyed or dumped in expensive landfill sites.

Scrap Plastic Solutions specialise in recycling the plastic and use the material to make a range of products such as goldfish bowls, buckets and bird feeders.

John Malone, Trading Standards manager, said, "This exciting new partnership means that future disposal of counterfeit products will not harm the environment and will help our trading standards officers dispose of these illegal items in a more effective manner."

Brian Woods, proprietor of Scrap Plastic Solutions based in Shropshire, believes his company can help other enforcement agencies overcome this perennial problem.

He said: "Our treatment process means that trading standards departments will be confident that goods forfeited by the courts will be securely and efficiently recycled."