Children hooked on illegal tobacco

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Trading Standards officials said 30% of young people admitted buying cheap and illicit tobacco - much of which has been smuggled into the country.

The cigarettes are sold from private homes in deprived areas with no age checks, creating a new generation of smokers struggling in the economic climate, it is claimed.

Richard Ferry, from Trading Standards North East, told the BBC: "About 30% of under 18s admit to buying cheap and illicit tobacco.

"It means they start smoking earlier and they can smoke more. The people who sell from tab houses don't care who they sell to."

The sorts of cigarettes being sold include duty-free cigarettes, which should be for personal use only, fake versions of well-known brands and "cheap whites" - cigarettes aimed specifically at the black market.

Tobacco smuggling is thought to cost the UK economy about £3 billion a year in lost tax revenue.

Meanwhile, customs officers have seized an estimated 120 million cigarettes smuggled into the Irish Republic.

It is understood the majority of the Palace and Chelsea brands were destined for the UK market.