Now showing: Indiana Jones and the London counterfeit DVDs

Thousands of pirated DVDs of Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull, this summer's biggest blockbuster, are already on sale on the streets of London.

Only days after the whip-cracking archaeologist's latest adventure was released onto our screens, the Evening Standard found counterfeiters hawking their pirated copies of the film.

Evening Standard discovered the DVDs of the film - which cost the producer Paramount £ 95million to make - on sale near Leyton Underground Station in the Marshall Road shopping complex, outside Currys electrical store.

One trader said her suppliers deliver by van every day at 9am and that the DVDs, which cost between £2 and £3, are always popular.

Another trader, who was from Vietnam, added: "We have DVDs on sale all around London. The police cannot stop us at all. I have been arrested and they just cautioned me and I am back. People want our DVDs and that is a fact."

But a staff member at Currys said: "They are a real pain and we have reported them to the police. We expect the officers to crack down on them soon."

One shopper, Eileen,41, of Leytonstone, said: "I have bought from these people in the West End before.

"Sometimes the DVDs can be quite good and very watchable but a lot of them are poorly filmed and I just throw them into the bin.

"I have three children and I can't afford to take them to the cinema because it would work out over £40 and that's too much."

The Indiana Jones DVD procured by the Standard appeared to have been made in a French cinema. The opening credits were in French and some of the actors' names did not fit the illicit copy.

However, the images were sharply in focus and the sound was reasonable.

Another pirate in Leyton asked: "You wanna buy Sex in the City? When does it open?"

When told the film is released tonight, she said: "You come back on Thursday morning and I will have it for you. We will have 50,000 copies the morning after the first show."

The Federation Against Copyright Theft says it is winning the battle against the DVD pirates, with a series of successful raids in areas like Kilburn, Harrow, Wembley and the West End.

And before a film, filmgoers are now asked to look out for any illegal filming of the show.

But police believe pirates are being assisted by some cinema staff who will copy the film on tiny handheld cameras.

Evening Standard bought two other DVDs of films which have not yet been released in the UK for £2 each. Al Pacino's 88 Minutes and Spiderman spoof Superhero have already been copied, transferred onto DVD and packaged with colourful artwork, months before they are due to appear in London's cinemas.

Others on offer included The Chronicles Of Narnia: Prince Caspian, Iron Man and What Happens In Vegas.

Those selling the DVDs in Leyton refused to talk about their paymasters but police believe global underworld syndicates, and in some cases, terrorists, benefit from the sales. The group behind the 2004 train bombings in Madrid that killed 191 people was partly funded by the sale of illegal compact discs, New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly has claimed.

It is estimated that the worldwide trade in counterfeit goods - including such items as fake Viagra tablets - is worth around £325billion per year.

Police said anyone caught selling counterfeit DVDs could face a fine, starting at £5,000, and a maximum 10-year jail term.