Trading standards have made the biggest seizure in their history after £1.3 million worth of fake Apple products were recovered from a warehouse.

The raid followed a phone call to West Sussex Trading Standards six months earlier about an overheating charger and led to the huge capture of fake Apple chargers, batteries, cables, headphones and adapters earlier this week.

The investigation began when a concerned resident contacted Trading Standards after purchasing a charger from a shop in Haywards Heath.

Despite being branded an official Apple product and priced at £59, the consumer was alarmed at how hot it became when charging her Apple Macbook at home.

Trading Standards carried out a test purchase at the Haywards Heath store and the charger purchased was tested to be unsafe and a fake by Apple.

Officers followed the trail from Haywards Heath to another store in Brighton, and on to a warehouse in Kingston-upon-Thames.

An entry warrant for the London premises was carried out on Tuesday by nine trading standards officers were supported by Apple investigators and Metropolitan Police in searching the warehouse.

The more than £1 million of products were instantly recognised as fakes because many had the same serial numbers – a tell-tale sign as all official Apple products carry unique serial numbers to identify them.

Richard Sargeant, West Sussex trading standards team manager, said: “This operation uncovered the highest value haul of fake products we have ever been involved in.

“It is so important for two reasons.

“Firstly we need to protect consumers from purchasing potentially unsafe products.

“And secondly recovering £1.3m of fake goods helps protect those traders who sell genuine Apple products from being undermined in the market place.”

Cllr Debbie Kennard, cabinet member for communities, said: “Hats off to the Trading Standards team for recovering such a vast amount of illegal goods.

“It demonstrates the value of reporting anything suspicious to us, either by phone or by email.

“So please contact Trading Standards via Citizens Advice on 03454 04 05 06 or online via www.westsussex.gov.uk/tsreport if you think something is wrong.”