Illegal tobacco worth £12,500 has been seized from a flat in Gloucester by Gloucestershire County Council trading standards officers, with assistance from Gloucestershire Constabulary.

Officers executed a warrant at a flat in Gloucester city centre on Wednesday 18 October following complaints and information from the community about the sale of illegal tobacco taking place in the area.

They established that illegal tobacco was being stored in a nearby flat and identified 2,284 packs of illegal cigarettes and 117 pouches of illegal hand rolling tobacco, worth a total of £12,500.

Gloucestershire Constabulary also seized a quantity of cash.

Cllr Dave Norman, cabinet member for trading standards at Gloucestershire County Council, said: "Illegal tobacco harms the trade of legitimate suppliers and poses a risk to public health. This seizure shows that our trading standards team will work tirelessly to keep these harmful products off the streets and we are grateful to the community for any information they pass to us.

"I would like to thank our Gloucestershire Constabulary colleagues for their help in this investigation and we will continue to work closely together to ensure there is no hiding place for anyone trying to sell illegal tobacco."

Inspector Ash Gardner, from the Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: "This was a great example of multi-agency work, supporting Trading Standards in their seizure of illegal tobacco.

"We will continue to work with our partners in the city to ensure that people feel safe in their communities."