One in eight London independent retailers are selling illegal tobacco products from under the counter, according to JTI.

The company also found 37% of consumers in the capital have purchased illegal cigarettes, with 28% claiming they have been offered illicit products in the past year.

Steve Wilkins, JTI anti-illegal trade operations director, said increased costs for independent retailers were pushing more shopkeepers to the illicit trade.

“I’ve visited retailers when we’ve removed gantries and my opinion is that fundamentally they are honest people. As the price of legal products go up, more and more will be tempted to go into the illicit trade,” he added.

From May 21, it will be illegal to sell branded and smaller packs of tobacco. This has been met with concerns from the trade that more shoppers will start buying tobacco from illegal sources to reduce their spend.

Wilkins called for harsher penalties for suppliers of illicit tobacco, such as custodial sentences for repeat offenders and more use of the Proceeds of Crime Act, so that criminal assets can be seized.

“Dishonest retailers are the public-facing part of the illicit trade, but behind them is organised crime,” he said.

“We need to make sure the public knows the real effects of the illicit trade. That £5 spent on a pack of illicit tobacco in the UK might buy a bullet that is shot at our military abroad.”

Illegal tobacco accounts for 13% of the cigarette market and 32% of rolling tobacco in the UK.

Is someone near you selling illegal tobacco? Report it anonymously by calling 0207 689 3379.