£7,000 worth of counterfeit cigarettes and tobacco were seized during police raids on stores in Redditch.

Officers from West Mercia Police's Safer Neighbourhood Team (SNT) supported Worcestershire Trading Standards during the operation on Monday (December 11) as part of ongoing efforts to tackle serious and organised crime.

They were also joined by a dog handler with tobacco search dogs targeting the Mini Market on Church Green in the town centre, and two other stores.

Officers searched the stores to see if they were selling illicit tobacco or vapes on the back of intelligence gathered and information provided that these shops had not been using the "Challenge 25" policy.

At the Mini Market in Church Green, around £7,000 of counterfeit cigarettes were found by a search dog concealed inside a metal entry door, as well as illegal tobacco behind a CCTV screen and in the kitchen area.

A further £500 of illegal vapes and £100 of counterfeit perfumes were also found at the Mini Market store in Mount Pleasant. All the illicit items were seized by Trading Standards.

Drugs search dogs found evidence of the presence of tobacco in a concealed area of another Redditch shop, however the stock had been moved on.

Police Sergeant Dave Roberts of Redditch Safer Neighbourhood Team said: “These illegal cigarettes and vapes are destined for the black market; the profits are linked to organised crime groups so taking them off the streets has not only protected the public from these unregulated products but also disrupted a wider network of criminal activity that ultimately impacts our local communities.”

The raid forms part of Operation Target, which sees police officers work closely with other forces and partners to tackle serious and organised crime.