Target areas revealed as police visit homes in crackdown on illegal firesticks for streaming Premier League games

Thirteen target regions where illegal streaming via 'dodgy' firesticks is most prevalent have been revealed by the Mirror, including London, Kent, Greater Manchester and Merseyside. In the UK, it is illegal to use a hacked device to stream paywalled content for free, and police forces across the country have been intensifying their response to this practice as part of a nation-wide sting.

Details about police target areas come after the launch of a two-week enforcement operation that has seen local police forces collaborate with the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT). The focus is on dismantling piracy operations, targeting more than 30 suppliers selling authorised access to paywalled content, visiting individuals in person and issuing cease-and-desist warnings by post in an effort to stop illegal access to games broadcast on Sky Sports and other paywalled channels.

Some serious sentences have already been handed out as part of this operation, with one 42-year-old man arrested in Newport for suspected involvement in illegal IPTV operations including the sale of illicit firesticks. Last month, Jonathan Edge, a 29-year-old man from Liverpool, received a huge sentence of three years and four months after pleading guilty to three offences under the Fraud Act following a private prosecution by the Premier League.

It's unclear how much damage this two-week sting will inflict on those responsible for 'dodgy' firestick services in the UK. But whatever happens, those involved in this practice will certainly be concerned by the increasingly harsh punishments being doled out to those who are prosecuted for crimes related to illegal sports streaming, and the various regions included on this clampdown list suggest the authorities will leave no stone unturned.