Report somebody you believe is selling illegal tobacco, alcohol or counterfeit goods.
You can report suspected illegal sales to the Citizens Advice consumer service online or phone 03454 04 05 06
Counterfeit and illicit goods
Counterfeit goods
These are illegal copies of well-known branded products produced without permission of the company.
Counterfeiting is a serious criminal offence which carries a prison sentence of up to 10 years.
These typically include:
- clothing and footwear
- CDs and DVDs
- cigarettes and alcohol
- perfume
- watches
Illegal tobacco and alcohol
Illegal tobacco and alcohol is often sold 'under the counter' in shops or from houses and there's generally no regard for safety or quality. Counterfeit tobacco and alcohol often contains dangerously high levels of toxic chemicals.
Children are known to buy illegal cigarettes and alcohol from complete strangers, who sell them with no regard to laws protecting children from these age restricted products.
Underage sales
We regularly visit shops, markets and car boot sales, to monitor for counterfeit and illegal goods. We also monitor popular auction and social websites.
We carry out visits to all shops that sell age-restricted products and help them make sure that they don’t break the law.
Age-restricted products
- alcohol
- tobacco
- fireworks
- DVDs
- knives and offensive weapons
Buying on behalf of children
It's an offence to buy alcohol on behalf of children. If you're caught you could be issued with an £80 penalty notice or a court could fine you up to £5,000.
We regularly test shops by sending in a young volunteer who tries to purchase one of these products. If you sell to our volunteers you'll be prosecuted.
We also investigate cigarettes and alcohol being sold to children from houses.
3 February 2023