PEOPLE in Swindon are being thanked for getting behind a campaign aimed at tackling illegal tobacco.

Trading standards officers from Swindon Council, health ambassadors and the Police joined members of Smokefree South West in March as part of a regional crackdown on the illicit trade and the information gathered is now bringing results.

Coun Richard Hurley, cabinet member for public protection and StreetSmart, said: “A stand in Canal Walk promoting the campaign gave shoppers the opportunity to pass on any illegal tobacco intelligence in the strictest of confidence.

“Trading standards officers have been following up that intelligence over the past few weeks which resulted in a warrant being executed at a town centre house and nearly 10kg of illegal tobacco being seized.”

The illegal tobacco campaign is part of the South of England Tackling Illegal Tobacco for Better Health programme, a multi-partnership initiative including Smokefree South West, local authorities, Trading Standards, the Police, Crimestoppers and HMRC.

The partnership was set-up in 2011 to tackle the illegal tobacco trade across the region.

Recent figures show that three in 10 smokers in Swindon smoke illegal tobacco and the trade in the South West now has a retail value equivalent to £211m. As well as being unregulated, illegal tobacco is often bought at pocket money prices, selling for less than half the tax-paid price of legal tobacco.

In Swindon, 70 per cent of people believe that illegal tobacco poses a real danger to children and eight out of 10 illegal tobacco smokers agree that the reduced price of illegal tobacco products allows them to smoke when they otherwise couldn't afford to.

Anyone wishing to report illegal tobacco can do so anonymously to Trading Standards at stop-illegal-tobacco.co.uk or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.