HUNDREDS of suspected illegal cigarettes were bought by test purchasers in Blackburn shops.

They visited dozens of premises in the town over two days and were sold what are thought to be smuggled, counterfeit or ‘illicit white’ cigarettes in 15 of them.

Will O’Reilly, a former Scotland Yard detective chief inspector, who now works for a consultancy company, headed up the team which was working on behalf of global cigarette and tobacco company Philip Morris International.

He said they planned to target Blackburn as part of a national crackdown, because of evidence they found doing ‘empty packet’ tests, which involves scrutinising the legitimacy of boxes found on the ground.

Among the shops which sold suspected illegal products were Smokers Paradise and the Breaking News newsagents, both in Accrington Road, Northgate News, in the town centre, Hafeji Stores, in Lawrence Road and Al Ameera, in Whalley Banks.

Mr O’Reilly said: “Blackburn was one of the areas which was above average on the test, meaning 25 per cent of cigarette packets picked up off the street were found to be non-domestic.

“The people who sell illegal tobacco are unscrupulous, they do not care who they target, and that includes children.

“People also do not realise what is in these things. They can contain up to 30 times as much lead as normal cigarettes as well as human faeces and arsenic.

“Legitimate shopkeepers are suffering because they cannot compete with the guy down the road selling cheap fags.” The group’s findings will now be passed onto Trading Standards.

Coun Soleman Khonat, a Blackburn councillor and a spokesman for the National Federation of Retail Newsagents, agreed that illegal tobacco damaged the businesses of those selling cigarettes legitimately.

He said: “Selling illegal cigarettes has an effect on traders who are just trying to make an honest living.

“Those selling illegal cigarettes should know that if they want to be legitimate retailers, then they need to have legitimate stock. They cannot afford to have any other, irrelevant of how much the profit margins would be. What is illegal is illegal.

“The other thing that they do not remember is hey do not know what the contents of these cigarettes are. I doubt they will have gone through all the checks and balances which are so, so important in this day and age.”

Blackburn MP Jack Straw said fake and low-cost cigarettes could have a negative impact on smokers’ health.

He said: “I think it is good that they have been taking enforcement action because it is the British taxpayer who is suffering and there is a large revenue loss.”

“While people should be free to smoke if they wish, we know that there is a a relationship between the level of smoking and the price.

“These people are allowing low-priced, illegal cigarettes to be traded, which aids to the health risks.”