Two people have been arrested and more than 18,000 suspected illicit cigarettes and in excess of £8,000 seized following dawn raids in County Durham. A woman in her late twenties and a man in his early 40’s were arrested following Tuesday’s raids at two houses carried out by Durham County Council with support from Durham Constabulary. The council’s consumer protection officers seized 18,320 cigarettes and 40.3 kilos of hand rolling tobacco with an estimated street value of £9,500, alongside more than £8,000 in cash.  The tobacco was believed to be either counterfeit or ‘cheap whites’ brands made especially for the illegal market. Serious concerns have been expressed about the fire safety of counterfeit and ‘cheap white’ cigarettes. Recent tests have revealed that they are not usually made of the required retardant paper and so continue to burn long after they have been discarded, posing a significant fire safety hazard. Since April 2015 the council’s consumer protection team has seized around 475,000 illegal cigarettes, nearly 70kg of illicit hand rolled tobacco and more than £50,000 in cash, in raids. Joanne Waller, the council’s head of consumer protection, said: “Thanks to the continuing wealth of intelligence from the public we continue to take robust action against the illicit tobacco trade in the county and reduce the harm it causes in our communities. “The people involved in this trade exploit members of their own community for personal gain and feed a network of criminals who do not care about the consequences of smoking. Anyone found guilty of supplying counterfeit tobacco could face up to 10 years in jail and unlimited fines. In addition, their assets may be seized through proceeds of crime action.” Cheap cigarettes do not provide an incentive to stop smoking and an average smoker can expect to pay almost £3,000 per year to feed their addiction. A lifelong smoker will spend a staggering amount of money on cigarettes, certainly enough to buy a house. Health problems associated with smoking are well recognised, with it increasing the risks of a person developing lung cancer and disease. With expert help those looking to give up are four times more likely to succeed than those who try without support. Smokers who want to kick the habit can contact County Durham’s smoking cessation team on 0800 7720565, text QUIT to 66777 or email: info@ smokefreelifecountydurham. co.uk. Information about suspected illegal tobacco sellers can be reported in confidence via the illegal tobacco hotline 0300 999 0000 or by emailing: tradingstandards@durham. gov.uk