New law prompts fake tobacco fear

It is feared youngsters could be tempted by illegal cigarettes

A crackdown on fake cigarette sellers on Teesside is under way after fears they may use a change in the law to target teenagers.

The move by Hartlepool Trading Standards follows Monday's rise in the legal minimum age at which tobacco can be bought from 16 to 18.

Officers are worried 16 and 17-year-olds could now turn to unsafe counterfeit cigarettes.

They are urging the public to report any illegal tobacco sales.

Michael Welsh, principal trading standards officer, said the fakes usually carried well-known brand leader names and were made abroad.

He said: "These cigarettes are being sold as the real thing by unscrupulous sellers who do not care about the products they are selling or the people they are selling them to.

"We are concerned that 16 and 17-year-olds could turn to these sellers and find themselves subjected to suspect, unsafe cigarettes, which contain very high levels of tar and nicotine."