ONE in seven York smokers buys illegal cigarettes, a study has found.

Although the illegal tobacco market has halved since 2010, from about one in five cigarettes being illegal to one in ten in 2013, a survey of more than 1,200 smokers around Yorkshire has shown the trade is still a problem.

The West Yorkshire and York City Illicit Tobacco Study was carried out on behalf of City of York Council, along with Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds and Wakefield councils, and found about 17 per cent of smokers in the region buy illegal tobacco, including 14 per cent in York. They also found 36 per cent of smokers have been offered illegal tobacco, and the illegal items make up about 11 per cent of the region's total tobacco market.

Last week, North Yorkshire Police and Trading Standards officers searched a number of shops around York, including four in the city centre.

Matt Boxall, trading standards manager at City of York Council, said there was a risk that selling illegal tobacco could attract organised crime into local communities.

He said: "As this day of action shows, we take this illegal practice very seriously and will turn our efforts towards uncovering other outlets. Anyone who knows where illegal tobacco is being sold is urged to contact City of York Council's Trading Standards via Crimestoppers on 0800 555111."

A council spokeswoman said no goods were seized during the raids, which saw police sniffer dogs, three Trading Standards officers, PCSOs and police officers entering and searching the shops. The searches were part of the national Operation Henry - run by HMRC and the Trading Standards Institute across nine regions in England.

Serwan Ali, manager of International Finest Foods in Walmgate, said his shop had to be closed for about 15 minutes while the team searched the premises, while customers and the public watched outside, before officers left empty handed.

He said: "I don't want people getting scared, everything is fine - it was a routine check."

The council spokeswoman said the searches were based on information from the public, but no illegal products had been found at any of the sites.

Members of the public are urged to look out for tobacco packages which are not written in English and do not have British health warnings printed on the packaging. The illegal, cheaper tobacco products can also taste different to genuine products, and anyone offered such items for sale is urged to contact Crimestoppers on the number above.