An animal rights campaigner is urging shoppers to be on the lookout for animal fur disguised as faux fur on cheap products.

The activist who goes by the name K-Star moved to Walthamstow 18 years ago and has since visited dozens of shops and traders in the town centre to educate sellers about their stock.

She is often shocked to find that both people wearing real fur as well as those selling it are under the illusion that it is fake.

This, she believes, is down to poor labelling and the misconception that clothes and accessories with real fur are expensive.

“I’ve seen choker necklaces made from mink fur which are being sold for as little as £1 in Walthamstow Market,” said K-Star who is in her 40s.

“There are children’s jackets with rabbit fur trims on the hoods and they are only £4.

“I’ve seen hats with real fur pompoms for sale next to ones with fake fur pompoms and they look the same.

“There is fur from foxes, marmots (large squirrels) and raccoon dogs on clothes and bags and it could be labelled as 100 per cent polyester.

“People need to know what they are buying. Fake fur will always have blunt ends as it is cut but real fur has ends like our own hairs.”

K-Star is active online where she promotes cruelty-free fashion and although her message is welcomed by many, she has also been on the receiving end of death threats.

Although she admits it is “disheartening” to see sellers shun her advice and continue to sell animal fur to oblivious customers, she feels rewarded when her hard work pays off.

In the past, after she pointed out animal fur on items, shop owners have returned stock to warehouses if they had a fur-free policy.

K-Star’s work also involves approaching people on the street if she sees them wearing real fur to find out if they know what their clothing is made of.

“What I would say is something like ‘how do you feel about the 40 animals who died so that you could look like Cruella de Vil?’” said the activist who began her work in her teenage years.

“Some people actually tell me their fur coats are fake and I tell them they’re not.

“I can tell it is real fur from the other side of the road, it’s so easy.

“I can tell by the way it moves – it looks like when an animal moves. It can never be recreated in the fake market.

“If you have ever stroked some kind of furry animal you will know what real fur feels like.

“You can’t call yourself an animal-lover and wear fur. We are not in the dark ages. We are not cavemen.”

To be able to carry out her campaigning work, K-Star has to watch hours of horrific footage of animals in fur farms.

Although the videos of creatures being tortured would make the average person turn away in disgust, the campaigner insists it’s vital for her to know what’s going on in the industry.

“To expose my enemy I have to know them,” she said.

Fur farming was made illegal in the UK in 2000 but animal fur continues to be imported for sale.

Last summer, more than 500,000 people signed petitions calling for a ban on the sale of real animal fur.

K-Star said many business owners she meets are unable to comprehend how much suffering goes into the production of fur-trimmed clothing but continue to sell it regardless.

“It is disheartening when I show footage of fur farms to traders and they wince away from it but they still sell the fur,” she said.

“Their pounds signs are greater than their compassion.

“Some of them have physically removed me by putting their hands on me just for saying ‘you’re selling real fur’. They don’t want to know anything about it.

“It’s unnecessary cruelty towards animals. It is disgusting really the depths that humans will sink to just to profit from animals.”

According to PETA, 85 per cent of fur sold today comes from animals who are kept in cages in fur farms.

Because the creatures are shut off from their natural environment, many turn to self-mutilation, cannibalism and fighting to cope with their distress.

Common methods used to kill fur-bearing animals include vaginal or anal electrocution, gassing and poisoning.

The industry also relies on the furs of animals who are caught in traps in the wild such as coyotes, wolves, bobcats, beavers and otters.

Once caught in a trap, animals are often left there for days suffering from blood loss, dehydration, frostbite and gangrene.

Females who have recently given birth will often chew off their trapped limb in a desperate effort to get back to their young.

The British Fur Trade Association says it promotes “high standards in animal welfare, responsible manufacturing and processing” and supports “the right to trade in and to wear fur”.

A petition urging Waltham Forest Council to ban the sale of animal fur in Walthamstow Market has been started.

To sign the petition, visit www.thepetitionsite.com/502/485/268/ban-the-sale-of-animal-fur-from-waltham-forest/?taf_id=58678309&cid=twitter