A BARBER from Blackburn who sold counterfeit cigarettes to his customers has been fined.

Magistrates heard how Anthony Peter Eddleston, 63, of Revidge Road, Blackburn told trading standards officers he knew it was 'a bit naughty'.

But prosecutor Nick McNamara said Eddleston's actions had 'undermined price-based strategies to discourage smoking' and been a 'real threat to the livelihoods of law-abiding shop-keepers'.

The court heard how trading standards officers went to Eddleston's shop - Tony's Barbers in Wood Street, St Annes - on June 16 following a tip-off.

Mr McNamara said: "On entry to the premises officers introduced themselves to Anthony Eddleston, who was in the shop with his son.

"Mr Eddleston was informed that the officers intended to carry out an inspection of his premises looking for illicit products. Officers then set about a search which resulted in the seizure of 161 packs of cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco from various locations about the store and 28 refills for electronic cigarettes from a display on the shop floor.

"All the products seized were improperly labelled in that they did not display prescribed textual and pictorial health warnings in English."

The court heard that among the items seized were counterfeit Amber Leaf hand-rolling tobacco, and counterfeit Regal and Mayfair cigarettes. A total of £1,830 cash, which has since been forfeited, was also seized by trading standards officers.

Mr McNamara said: "Anthony Eddleston was subsequently interviewed when he admitted to officers that the packs were his and that he had been selling them. He said he had bought the products from a man who had come into the shop and that he had paid, £10 for each pouch of Amber Leaf and £25 for each sleeve of 200 cigarettes. He asserted that he had initially bought them for his own use but had later decided to sell packs, despite knowing that it was, 'a bit naughty'.

"Mr Eddleston claimed that he had been charging his customers £3 per pack of cigarettes, which is about a third of the price of their legitimate, tax-paid counterparts. Selling packs this cheaply makes them more accessible to adults and children and undermines price-based strategies to discourage smoking. They also pose a real threat to the livelihoods of law-abiding shop-keepers in the area who find it impossible to compete against their cut-price counterparts."

Eddleston pleaded guilty to supplying tobacco products which which did not comply with the labelling requirements, supplying electronic cigarette refill containers which which did not comply with the labelling requirements and possessing tobacco products in packaging bearing signs identical to, or likely to be mistaken for, registered trade marks.

In mitigation Eddleston said he hadn't realised the seriousness of what he was doing and thought he could just make a bit of extra money from it

He was fined £250, order to pay £100 and a £30 surcharge to fund victim services.