Black market cigarette trade ‘accelerating high street decline’, Co-op tells Burnham

The Co-operative Union has cautioned Burnham on the rapid expansion of illicit cigarette trade in Britain's high streets, warning that it is eroding public safety and weakening community cohesion. The Co-op has submitted a white paper requesting the government to invest more in policing these illicit activities. Paul Gerrard, Co-op's director of campaigns, emphasizes that "shadow and illicit economics" are reshaping the high streets across the UK, creating an unsafe environment, harming legitimate businesses, and preventing £1.4bn from reaching the public coffers.

A YouGov survey conducted for the Co-op reveals that a third of British smokers (36 per cent) have purchased illicit cigarettes, 62 per cent of whom resort to the underground market due to its lower cost. Illicit cigarettes can be found in corner shops and vape shops for as little as £5 per pack. The Co-op claims that over 10bn illicit cigarettes were smoked across the UK last year.

According to Co-op's white paper, the average English council inspects only four shops per month for illegal cigarettes, confiscating the equivalent of one illegal cigarette per resident every three years. Co-op's criminologist, Professor Emmeline Taylor, asserts that high street crime "distorts local economies, undermines legitimate commerce, erodes public confidence and weakens the opportunities for successful regeneration."

The white paper urges the government to expedite the closure of "rogue" high street businesses, grant police access to HMRC's tracking data on cigarette trade, and enhance police presence in town centres. Gerrard states that the government's £30m enforcement operation, launched to tackle illegal tobacco sales and organized crime, is insufficient to combat the growing illicit tobacco trade.

He argues that increased investment is crucial now to reap long-term benefits for the public purse and to foster thriving high streets and communities.