TWO businesses in North Yorkshire are under investigation after police announced a crackdown on counterfeit or illegal tobacco products.
Joint visits were carried out in Scarborough on Friday (February 10), with the town’s Community Impact Team working with North Yorkshire County Council Trading Standard’s Illicit Tobacco team, following successful joint visits.
Using community intelligence, they attended premises which have been linked to the sale of counterfeit or illegal tobacco products and those who are potentially selling products to children.
Tobacco seized
A spokesperson for North Yorkshire police said the two businesses visited by the teams are now under investigation following the seizure of counterfeit tobacco.
The spokesperson explained that counterfeit and illegal tobacco is “completely unregulated”, and some items are not fire safe.
“Unlike regulated products, they do not extinguish by themselves if left unattended. This makes them much more likely to cause a fire,” they said.
“Unregulated tobaccos may also contain products which are not fit for consumption.”
PC Phillip Coyne, currently attached to the Community Impact Team, said: “These visits are great example of multi-agency work in Scarborough with partners coming together to ensure that all parts of investigation, safeguarding and education are carried out effectively.”
Scarborough Neighbourhood Policing Inspector Rebecca Lalor said: “I thank our community for providing vital information about some local businesses which allows us to pursue these multi-agency visits alongside Trading Standards.
“I encourage residents to talk to and share your concerns with our Police Community Support Officers, Police Officers and the Community Safety Officers.
“We will act on this information to effectively disrupt, deter and stop the illegal selling of products in our town.
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“With this engagement and intelligence, we can all help to protect reputable businesses and the community we serve.”
You can make a report via the North Yorkshire Police website or by calling 101.
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