A CAMPAIGN is being launched today after it was revealed that almost a third of smokers in the town now smoke illegal tobacco.

Smokefree South West has launched the multi-partnership initiative alongside HMRC, Trading Standards, the Police, Crimestoppers and other enforcement partners, Primary Care Trusts and Local Authorities as part of on-going efforts to tackle the illegal tobacco trade in the south west.

HMRC figures show that in 2010 the associated revenue loss caused by illegal tobacco in the UK was estimated to be £2.18bn – today that figure has dropped to £1.86bn. Illegal tobacco, however, remains a serious issue with three in 10 smokers in Swindon smoking illegal tobacco, which has an equivalent retail value of £211m in the south west region alone.

As part of this on-going campaign pulling together the largest law enforcement organisations in the region, a key aim is to reduce further the number of people buying and being offered illegal tobacco in Swindon.

Illegal tobacco brings criminals into communities and into contact with children.

As well as being unregulated, illegal tobacco is often bought at ‘pocket money prices’, selling for less than half the tax-paid price of legally sold tobacco. This attracts younger smokers and allows those who could otherwise not afford to smoke, to maintain their habit and undermine their attempts to quit.

In Swindon, seven out of 10 people believe that illegal tobacco poses a real danger to children and eight out of 10 illegal tobacco smokers agree that the reduced price of illegal tobacco products allows them to smoke when they otherwise couldn’t afford to.

Smokefree South West director, Fiona Andrews said: “Significant progress has been made since February 2011 when we first launched the campaign to tackle the problem of illegal tobacco across the South West. Our collective efforts to tackle illegal tobacco are having a big effect, but more can be done.

“The illegal tobacco market in the UK has halved in the last decade but still poses a real and present threat to children and local communities. “Cigarettes and pouches of hand rolling tobacco are offered to our children at pocket money prices making it cheap and all too easy for our children to smoke and become addicted.

“The only people who benefit from this trade are the criminals who don’t care about what is in the packets they sell. Since illegal tobacco remains part of the range of smuggled and contraband goods traded by criminal gangs it is vital that steady, sustained pressure continues to be applied.”

Coun Vera Tomlinson, cabinet member for a Safer, Stronger Borough, said: “Trading Standards are committed to disrupting the supply of illegal tobacco across the south west and through this initiative we are able to gather intelligence to help us complete this task. Businesses should be aware that if illegal tobacco is being sold on their premises they are liable to a range of fines that could strip them of their livelihood.”

The campaign will also be running a local public engagement event in Swindon in March to help bring the message of the dangers illegal tobacco poses into local communities.

The sale of illegal tobacco is a criminal offence. Anyone wishing to report the selling of illegal tobacco can report anonymously online to Trading Standards at www.stop-illegal-tobacco.co.uk or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or visit www.crimestoppers-uk.org. To pledge your support for the campaign or for more information on illegal tobacco go to www.stop-illegal-tobacco.co.uk