Illegal cigarettes, tobacco and alcohol worth almost £7,000 were seized after sniffer dogs swooped on convenience stores in High Wycombe yesterday.

The joint operation between Buckinghamshire Trading Standards and HM Revenue and Customs seized contraband from 11 small shops across town.

The haul of 539 packs of cigarettes and 1,850 grams of tobacco has estimated market value of almost £4,000, while 200 litres of vodka and whisky would have netted more than £3,000 for retailers.

Some of the tobacco haul, hidden from view in stores, was flushed out by detection sniffer dogs Scamp and Phoebe, from Pembrokeshire specialists BWY Canine.

Buckinghamshire County Council Trading Standards officers will now work with HMRC to decide on further action, which could lead to prosecution.

Trading Standards Officer Lawrence Eldridge said: “We can't stress enough the risks to the public of illegal tobacco and alcohol, and we want to make sure we're doing all we can to protect them.

“Past analysis of counterfeit tobacco products has shown they can contain dangerous ingredients such as cyanide, and even plastic, sand, insects and rat droppings.”

Authorities have not disclosed the names of the shops found to be concealing the products.

Mr Eldridge said the operation was the biggest seizure to date as part of the joint effort, which has seen a number of visits across in Bucks over the past year and bans enforced.

The tobacco and cigarettes bear foreign and English labels without 'Duty Paid' stamps, and are thought to be either counterfeit or imported illegally.

Checks on the spirits, none of which appeared to have 'Duty Paid' labels, will be made over the next few days.

HMRC say the seized goods have an estimated tax duty of £6000.

Peter Millroy, assistant director, criminal investigation at HMRC, said: “The sale of illegal tobacco and alcohol will not be tolerated by us or our partner agencies.

“Disrupting criminal trade is at the heart of our strategy to clampdown on the illicit tobacco market, which costs the UK around £2.1 billion a year, and the sale of illicit alcohol which costs the UK around £1 billion per year.

“This is theft from the taxpayer and undermines legitimate traders.'

Anyone with information about the illegal sale of tobacco or alcohol should contact the Customs Hotline on 0800 59 5000.