TRADING standards officers have seized illegal cigarettes and tobacco worth more than £12,000 from three shops.

Specially trained dogs helped them uncover 20,000 cigarettes and 4kg of tobacco including some concealed in a wall cavity.

All the tobacco products seized had been smuggled into Britain without paying customs duties or were counterfeit.

The seizures were part of an intelligence-led operation against illegal tobacco products and targeted three shops in Scarborough.

North Yorkshire County Councillor Derek Bastiman, executive member for trading standards, said: “The supply of illicit tobacco will not be tolerated.

"We will continue to adopt a zero tolerance approach to these matters and use every enforcement technique at our disposal to disrupt this activity.”

A county council spokesman said there was evidence illegal tobacco supply funded organised crime.

Louise Wallace, director of public health for North Yorkshire, said: “All tobacco is harmful, but the illegal tobacco market and in particular the availability of cheap cigarettes make it harder for smokers to quit and remain smoke-free. For those who want to quit, there is help available.”

Smokers in North Yorkshire wanting to quit can contact Living Well Smokefree on 01609 797272 or www.northyorks.gov.uk/stopsmoking. It providesfree one-to-one behavioural and motivational support aand access to stop-smoking products.