A SHOP will continue to be monitored after police visited the premises during illegal tobacco checks but came away empty handed.

West Mercia Police took part in a joint operation earlier today (Wednesday) in Lowesmoor, Worcester, alongside Worcestershire Trading Standards.

A business was visited following a raid in December where "a considerable amount of illegal tobacco was seized".

READ MORE: Police raid shops in Lowesmoor for illegal cigarettes

A Worcestershire Regulatory Services spokesman said: “Trading Standards can confirm that they did visit a shop alongside our colleagues at the Worcester City Safer Neighbourhoods Team in Worcester this morning looking for illegal tobacco products. 

"The visit was based on intelligence and follows on from a previous visit in December 2022 when a considerable amount of illegal tobacco was seized.

"Nothing was found today but the shop will continue to be monitored.”

Illegal tobacco can include “illicit white” cigarettes that have no legal market in the UK, counterfeit cigarettes that are illegally manufactured and genuine cigarettes smuggled into the UK without duty paid.