Officers found recording equipment, blank DVDs and pirated films, including the Oscar-nominated Million Dollar Baby, all worth about �8,000.

The Met said the DVDs were uncovered after they heard noises coming from the flat while executing a warrant nearby.

Two men and a woman were arrested and released on bail pending the results of forensic tests.

Sgt Brigid Fisher said: "This is an excellent result for both Lewisham Police and the local community.

"The profits the people who make counterfeit DVDs make fund all kinds of serious criminal activity including terrorism, human trafficking, the drugs industry and gun crime.

"I would urge people who buy pirate DVDs thinking that it is harmless to consider what their money is funding and ask themselves if they want to be funding these other crimes."