Police launch crackdown on ‘dodgy firesticks’ used for illegally streaming soccer: Full listing of goal areas the place houses are being visited is revealed

Police are visiting homes across the UK in a bid to get tough on those supplying ‘dodgy’ Firesticks which allow sports fans to illegally stream matches on their TV.

The devices resemble their Amazon counterparts but are hacked or ‘jailbroken’ to give access to paywalled content for free. 

There has been a clampdown on the illegal devices in recent months, with father-of-two Jonathan Edge, 29, jailed for three years for selling them and three men arrested back in July. 

The Federation Against Copyright Theft’s (FACT) latest move involves two weeks of enforcement operations, in conjunction with local police forces, and is aiming to combat more than 30 distributors of the Firesticks, the Mirror reports.

The campaign is focussing on dismantling piracy operations and has seen officers visit people in person as well as issuing cease-and-desist warnings in the mail, suggesting there would be criminal prosecution if they did not stop their activities immmediately.

And now the full list of areas targeted by police has been revealed and it covers most of the country:

People living in London, Kent, Sussex, Norfolk, Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire, Staffordshire, East and West Midlands, Greater Manchester, Cheshire, Merseyside, Northumbria and North Yorkshire all have a chance of being affected.

Indeed, reports suggest a 42-year-old man has already been arrested in Newport as part of the campaign after it was suspected he was involved in the illegal sale of the Firesticks.

South Wales Police and FACT are believed to have seized several electronic devices associated with the suspect. 

The crackdown comes after Edge was imprisoned for three years and four months, as confirmed by the Premier League, for selling the Firesticks. This also included a separate sentence for accessing and viewing the content he supplied.

An investigation discovered that Edge uploaded the content onto the devices and was paid cash in hand at his home. 

He was warned on several occasions to stop, but continued to supply the illegal material. 

Julian Nutter, defending, argued Edge was acting as something of a ‘Robin Hood’ figure by giving people who would struggle to afford a Sky subscription access to the games.   

‘Whether or not he made a significant profit is an issue which is raised. The point should be made on his behalf that the people who would buy his products would not be people who are likely to have the money to buy a Sky subscription,’ Mr Nutter said. 

‘They have limited income. The people he would be been dealing with in the Merseyside area would hardly be the same as toffs in London who would have money coming in from the city. 

‘He was providing a service to people who would probably not be able to afford it otherwise. There’s an element of a Robin Hood to all that.’ 

In the wake of the recent police operation, FACT CEO Kieron Sharp said: ‘Our cease-and-desist measures are not just warnings—they are the first step toward holding offenders accountable. Many who ignored these notices in the past are now facing arrest and criminal charges. We strongly advise anyone involved in these activities to stop immediately.

‘If you’re supplying or using illicit streaming devices or illegal IPTV subscriptions, take this as a clear warning: you are breaking the law and risk facing serious consequences. We will continue working with police to track down and shut down these illegal operations.

‘The police across the UK have been unstinting in their efforts to tackle this criminality and we are grateful for their assistance. To those using illegal streaming services, the message is that you’re not just committing a crime; you are putting yourself at risk.

‘These services often expose users to malware, scams, and data theft, with no recourse when things go wrong. The safest, smartest and only choice is to stick to legitimate providers for your entertainment.’