More than a thousand litres of illegal alcohol has been seized during raids on shops in Kent.

The action by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) took place in Gillingham today.

Officers from the HMRC inland detection teams raided two stores in a joint operation with Medway police, the UK Border Agency and Medway Council.

The alcohol had not had UK duty paid on it.

In total, 670 litres of Italian wine and 475 litres of spirits were seized.

The potential duty not paid amounted to more than £4,600. No arrests were made but enquiries are continuing.

Bob Gaiger, from HM Revenue & Customs said: “We estimate that spirits fraud alone deprives the public purse of around £350 million a year in lost revenue.

"Anyone engaged in handling or selling smuggled alcohol should be aware that HMRC teams are active in the area and we are committed to stopping this activity.

Detective Constable Mark Horner, licensing officer in Medway added: “This multi-agency operation has proved to be very successful and we are very pleased that our colleagues from HMRC were able to assist with the investigation.

“The evasion of duty on alcohol and tobacco is not a victimless crime. This type of crime undermines the economy of this country and directly impacts on the social and economic fabric of our society and the community we serve. This is a rolling joint operation between our partner agencies and we will be visiting more premises in the near future.”

Anyone aware of illicit alcohol being sold should call the Customs’ Hotline on 0800 595000 or email customs.hotline@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk