More than 3,000 cigarettes, 2kg of tobacco, and 1,000 illegal vapes were seized from shops as part of a police crackdown.

Several businesses across Dover were visited by officers working with Kent County Council’s (KCC) Trading Standards last week.

A total of seven shops were inspected, with illegal vapes being found in one of them.

A second business was also found to be hiding counterfeit tobacco.

Dover town beat officer PC Ben Goff said: “This work was carried out after we received information regarding the sale of the illegal goods in the area.

“Very often the sale of illicit tobacco helps to fund organised criminal gangs which causes wider implications in the community, so any reports made to authorities regarding businesses selling such products are looked into robustly.”

A spokesman for KCC Trading Standards said: “This operation was a great success and is an excellent example of how all partner agencies working together can have such a huge impact on this area of illegal activity.

“Trading Standards will continue to organise and coordinate activity to target those individuals and businesses causing the greatest amount of harm to our communities and the legitimate economy.”