NINE per cent of all tobacco smoked in the region is illegal, a new survey released by campaign group Fresh says.

It said more buyers of illegal tobacco had switched to hand rolled tobacco in the past six years with hand rolled now making up nearly half of the regional illegal tobacco market.

However 44 per cent of men and 29 per cent of women wrongly believed roll-ups contained fewer chemicals than manufactured cigarettes.

Lisa Surtees, acting director of Fresh, said: “Although less than one in ten cigarettes is now illegal regionally, which is a reduction on what it was, this survey shows illegal tobacco is still a problem in some communities and reveals the type of locations like houses and shops where it is being sold.

“Dealers just do not care who they sell to. To them, children smoking is a business opportunity. Trading standards has played a key role in helping take more illegal tobacco off the streets.

“It is also a concern that so many people think roll ups are less harmful. All tobacco releases a toxic cocktail of poisons which cause cancer, heart disease and COPD.

“We need to consider whether a licence to sell tobacco at some point in the future would help us reduce the illegal tobacco market even further.”

Illegal tobacco comprises of three types – genuine cigarettes smuggled in without duty being paid, factory-made brands made in Russia purely for the illegal market, and counterfeits.

Concerted action against illegal tobacco dealers by enforcement teams during 2014 as part of the ongoing nationwide “Operation Henry” led to the seizure of over 65,000 cigarettes in the North-East.