Illegal cigarettes in fish lorry

The cigarettes were destined for the black market

Millions of illegally imported cigarettes have been found in South Yorkshire in a lorry carrying fish.

Customs officers found six million cigarettes hidden behind a cover-load of fish in the lorry in Rotherham.

The cigarettes were thought to be worth more than £1.5m in lost excise duty and VAT.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) also uncovered 10 million illegal cigarettes destined for the black market in Sheffield on 28 April.

Officers said they were acting on intelligence when they tracked down the lorry at an industrial estate in Rotherham.

It is thought that the vehicle was brought into the UK via Poland.

Brian Matthews, of HMRC, said: "We commented last week that South Yorkshire was fast becoming one of the worst areas in the UK for smuggled cigarettes and tobacco and the fact that we are intercepting such large, commercial quantities in the area only serves to justify this claim."