A new brand of dangerous illicit ‘cheap white’ cigarettes is being sold from ‘fag houses’ and street corners in Lincolnshire.

The ‘Black Mount’ branded cigarettes were discovered as part of a raid on an illegal fag house by Lincolnshire Trading Standards and Lincolnshire Police.

Black Mount is manufactured purely for the black market and cannot be legally sold anywhere in the UK. Reports of their illegal sale first surfaced in Ireland last year. 

Their white packs feature the words ‘Black Mount’ on the front with a picture of a black and grey mountain.

Dan Brown, senior trading standards officer at Lincolnshire County Council, warned: “This is the first time we have seen this brand in Lincolnshire.

“It is a brand purely manufactured for the black market and is made to be smuggled. Because of that, there is no quality control. We know that the people who are selling them have no interest in what they are selling or who they are selling to.

“These illicit cigarettes are dangerous - they don’t comply with EU safety regulations and don’t self-extinguish, so could result in a house fire. Also, as they are unregulated - we just don’t know what chemicals and components are inside them.”