Wiltshire Council is warning people about the dangers of smoking imported black market cigarettes recently found for sale in a Wiltshire off licence.

Following a tip off that illegal tobacco sales were being made to customers in the north of the county, officers seized a number of imported packets of cigarettes with the brand name “Jin Ling”.

Trading standards are now investigating the matter further.

Jin Ling cigarettes cannot be sold legally anywhere and are manufactured purely for the black market, believed to be imported from China.

They come in yellow packs with the words ‘USA blend’ on the front with the illustration of a mountain goat.

Millions of Jin Ling packets have been seized by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs and trading standards throughout the country.

Tests show them to be much stronger than ordinary cigarettes and some are lined with asbestos. Steve Clover, head of commercial and consumer protection at the council, warned: "These cigarettes are available at a much lower price but are also made in an uncontrolled environment which is not strictly regulated like genuine brands.

"Although people selling them often think they are doing a favour to the buyer they are not. Consumers buying illegally imported tobacco are putting themselves at risk and supporting criminal activity."

Jennie Kendall, from HM Revenue and Customs, said: "We have noted an increase in seizures of cigarettes that are not sold legally in the UK.

"Brands such as Jin Ling are produced despite having no known markets and are not on sale legally in the UK.

"They are effectively made purely for smuggling and often obtained in large quantities by organised crime gangs who smuggle them into the UK where they are sold illegally in residential areas, pubs and clubs, workplaces and some small independent retail shops.

"The people who sell these cigarettes are not concerned with how or where they are produced, or even who buys and smokes them - including young children and teenagers. They are only interested in the profits they make, which are usually ploughed straight back into criminal activity."

Darrell Gale, consultant in public health at NHS Wiltshire, said: "Illegal tobacco can be more harmful to health than that legally sold as it won’t have been made to the same standards and may therefore contain additional harmful substances.

"People smoking illegal tobacco often smoke more cigarettes than they would if they were buying legal tobacco, compounding the harm to their health and those breathing their smoke." Sales of illicit tobacco can be reported anonymously at www.stop-illegal-tobacco.co.uk