Sniffing out illegal tobacco in Southampton

Illegal tobacco worth more than £13,000 has been found in Southampton.

Trading standards officers - along with sniffer dog Scamp - have been carrying out checks on shops in the city.

Fake tobacco has previously been found to contain dangerous chemicals, including asbestos.

A Trading Standards officer said: “We have some retailers in Southampton who choose to sell illegal tobacco products and this is a crime. We will continue to target those businesses which sell these unlawful products."

Councillor Dave Shields, Cabinet Member for Stronger Communities, said: "While illegal tobacco can be as little as a third of the price of the genuine product, it comes at a cost of supporting criminals. Not only do these criminals contribute a fraction of what they owe towards taxes, but they alone benefit from what the tax that you pay provides them.

Councillor Lorna Fielker, Cabinet Member for Health and Adults, said: "Counterfeit tobacco is not only illegal, but can be more hazardous to your health, as there is no control over the quality of the contents. Fake tobacco products have been found to contain dangerous chemicals, dust, excessively high tar levels and asbestos."