Bootleg tobacco warning.

A NEW generation of young people are being hooked on smoking thanks to the availability of cheap counterfeit and smuggled tobacco, according to Fresh, Smoke Free North East.

The campaign group said up to one in five cigarettes and half of loose tobacco in the region is sold at knockdown prices.

"Cheap illegal tobacco is a real problem in the region," says Ailsa Rutter, director of Fresh, Smoke Free North East. "And what's worse is that these products are readily available in our most deprived communities where there are already high rates of lung cancer and heart disease."

Revenue and Customs' head of detection for the North of England, John Kinghorn said: "The North of England is one of the worst areas in the UK for the illegal importation and sale of cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco.

"These gangs are professional outfits who will go to great lengths to smuggle in goods. They are making a hefty profit at the expense of the honest taxpayer and local businesses and are using their profits to fund much larger criminal operations.

"Counterfeit cigarettes are even worse for your health than normal cigarettes and it is not easy to tell the difference."