A survey of nearly 3,000 North East adults by Fresh has found the frequency of illegal tobacco purchasing has fallen, despite the proportion of smokers buying illicit products remaining at around one in five.
Fresh, the UK’s first dedicated regional programme for tobacco control, said the results indicate that while 21 per cent of North East smokers have bought illegal tobacco, those who do are buying it less often than in previous years.
According to the survey, one in four (25 per cent) smokers who purchase illegal tobacco were buying it weekly in 2025, down from one in three (33 per cent) in 2023. Smokers also reported fewer encounters with illegal tobacco, with 37 per cent saying they had come across it in 2025 compared to 47 per cent in 2015.
Fresh estimates around 10 per cent of all tobacco smoked in the North East is illegal, contributing to a £60m annual duty loss. The organisation said the proportion has declined from 15 per cent in 2009.
Despite the drop in frequency, the illegal market remains significant. The survey found that 32 per cent of smokers have been offered illegal tobacco – unchanged since 2015 – although only 7 per cent said they were offered it often.
Fresh said most illicit sales take place in private or social settings such as pubs and clubs, but added that the “shop-based purchases are from local convenience stores”.
The survey also profiled the typical buyer of illegal tobacco, finding they were more likely to be male, younger, financially struggling, and hand-rolling tobacco smokers.
Fresh used the findings to renew calls for community vigilance and enforcement action, linking the illicit trade to youth smoking and organised crime. Smoking remains the North East’s biggest killer, it said, with two in three lifelong smokers dying from smoking-related harm.
Ailsa Rutter OBE, Director of Fresh and Balance, said: “The illegal tobacco trade is not harmless but is linked to criminals getting it into the country and selling it on. People who supply illegal tobacco are linked to a trade which causes 16 types of cancer, heart attacks, strokes, COPD and kills thousands of people every year.
“Let’s be clear – all tobacco kills, but keeping illegal tobacco out of our communities is an important part of efforts to make smoking history for more families in the North East. Local authorities and our NHS in the North East are prioritising tobacco as our biggest killer and the Tobacco and Vapes Bill will help make smoking a thing of the past for more children.”
Fresh said smoking rates in the North East have dropped sharply in recent decades, with around 10 per cent of adults currently smoking, down from 29 per cent in 2005. It described this as a 65 per cent reduction and “the largest fall in smoking rates in England”.
The survey also tested attitudes among smokers towards illicit tobacco, finding 61 per cent agree illegal tobacco is a danger to children by getting them hooked on smoking, 57 per cent agree it brings crime into communities, and 74 per cent agree it makes it harder for people to quit.
The survey findings come amid continued regional efforts to tackle tobacco harm through the North East Declaration for a Smokefree Future, supported by local authorities and the North East and North Cumbria NHS Integrated Care Board. Fresh said more than 88 per cent of North East adults support the next generation being smokefree.
Trading Standards North East said public intelligence remains vital in tackling illegal tobacco, with enforcement activity including prosecutions, shop closures and fines.
Ian Thompson, Regional Illicit Tobacco Officer for Trading Standards North East, said: “When people buy illegal tobacco, it is often the end of a long criminal chain. Crime gangs control its supply – often the same people who try and flood our streets with drugs, with links to violence, intimidation, weapons, child exploitation and people trafficking to stock and sell illegal tobacco.
“We can’t allow children and young people to be exposed to these gangs and their criminal way of life.
“Fewer people are now turning a blind eye to this illegal trade. With information from the public, we can prosecute sellers, close shops, call for alcohol licenses to be reviewed and work with HMRC to issue fines of up to £10,000. The penalties are not worth it.”
Fresh is urging residents to report suspected illegal tobacco sales as part of its Keep It Out campaign, including activity in shops, homes and social venues. It said thousands of people have provided information in recent years, resulting in seizures, court action and shops facing closure orders and large fines.
Consumers can report suspected illegal tobacco sales anonymously via the Keep It Out website or by calling 0300 999 0000.