MORE than £10,000 worth of illegal tobacco concealed in two shops in Brierley Hill have been seized by trading standards.

Trading standards officers from Dudley Council teamed up with West Midlands Police to raid two shops in the town that were suspected of selling illegal tobacco.

With the help of tobacco detection dogs, they found a hidden compartment in the ceiling space of the stock room in the first store.

Mixed brands of illicit and counterfeit cigarettes and hand rolling tobacco products, thought to be in the region of £10,000, were discovered and seized.

A short time later, a smaller but still significant seizure of illegal tobacco was made at a nearby convenience store where the business owner had also attempted to conceal his stock.

The evidence gained by Dudley Council's trading standards team will be used to pursue closure orders on shops known to be involved in the supply of illegal tobacco to the local community.

Neither of the shops involved have been named at this time.

Councillor Nicolas Barlow, cabinet member for health and adult social care, said: "Yesterday’s successful operation is a reminder to anyone considering trading in illegal tobacco that it will not be tolerated in our borough and those who choose to pursue such illicit behaviour will face the strong arm of the law.

"I would like to thank everyone involved in this important work, helping to protect our residents from illegal and counterfeit tobacco, which can have very dangerous implications for a person’s health."

Illegal tobacco products do not display the health warnings required by UK legislation and do not alert the customer to the serious health risks associated with them.

Anyone who has information about illegal tobacco trade can report to the trading standards team on 01384 818872.