A LARGE quantity of counterfeit tobacco products have been seized as part of East Ayrshire's Trading Standards team cracking down on fake products.

Officers helped tackle counterfeit crime with the recent seizure of tobacco and vaping products from an East Ayrshire shop.

Acting on intelligence, Officers uncovered a hidden stock of illicit products including more than 20,000 cigarettes, almost 6kg of tobacco and more than 100 disposable vapes.

Councillor Neal Ingram, East Ayrshire Council's cabinet member for community safery, said: "This is another victory in the ongoing fight on fake and potentially harmful products waged by our Trading Standards officers.

"The sale of counterfeit tobacco poses many risks to users and the community. Our Trading Standards Team is committed to protecting consumers from potentially harmful products like this fake tobacco.

"Its sale not only risks the health of those who use it, it creates illegal income for organised crime organisations and it cheats the treasury of thousands of pounds in unpaid duty, creating an unfair trading environment for other decent traders, who invest in legitimate stock who are often struggling to compete in this difficult economic climate."

Fake tobacco can be extremely harmful to smokers - significantly more so than regulated products.

"If they're in branded packets rather than the standardised packaging, and if they're being offered much more cheaply, there's a high chance it's counterfeit," Cllr Ingram said.

"In this instance, our officers were able to put a stop to this illegal activity thanks to the vigilance of the public.

"We’d urge everyone to take care that they’re using legitimate tobacco and report any suspicions to our Trading Standards team.”