Sniffer dog finds £12k of illicit vapes and tobacco

A police dog has helped sniff out illegal vapes, cigarettes and hand-rolled tobacco with a total street value of more than £3,000.

The products were seized from two retail premises in Ringwood and Totton following a joint operation between police and Hampshire County Council's Trading Standards team.

The council said the "covert operation" led to the discovery and seizure of illegal products, including some concealed in an armchair and an oven.

George - a specially-trained sniffer dog - was used in the raid, weeks after he helped discover almost £9,000 of similar illicit products in New Milton.

Hampshire County Council said George's "keen nose" had helped locate more than 500 illegal items in the latest operation.

Cabinet member Kirsty North, said it was an "impressive result".

"We are committed to working with Hampshire police and our local communities to identify shops that trade illegally.

"Dodgy traders undermine legitimate businesses and risk people's health, and this focus is paying off," she added.

The total high-street value of the seized items would have been £3,226, the council said.

It comes after an operation in New Milton last month in which £8,989 worth of illicit vapes, cigarettes and rolled tobacco products was seized in two shops.

In January, new figures obtained by the BBC revealed that more than three million illegal vaping products have been seized by trading standards officers in south-east England in five years.