TENSIONS ran high on Wednesday when large parts of the indoor Didim Shopping Centre were shuttered off by traders to prevent checks on suspect counterfeit goods.

Tourists and locals spoke of mass crowds in front of the shopping centre as debates raged over the presence of lawyers wanting access to inspect any false brands being sold from shops in the centre.

But they were largely thwarted when the traders just shuttered up their shops. The police attended but largely kept a watching brief.

The traders railed against the snap inspections at the height of the tourism season.

The lawyers wanted to identify and seize counterfeit products such as shirts, trousers, t-shirts and hats where the logos of famous brands are printed.

About 80 people gathered outside the centre while discussions ensued, leaving tourists none the wiser as to what was happening.

Owners and employees of the operating places protested by downloading shutters and closing the bottom of Atatürk Bulvarı  to traffic.

The shopkeeper’s reaction ended when lawyers left the Shopping Center.

Didim District Police Chief Serkan Demircioğlu also came to the scene and saw the shopkeepers.

Operators in Didim Shopping Center reacted to the inspections done in the middle of the season every year, claiming the  producers should be inspected, not the sellers of these products, and that the tension in front of tourists created negativity.