A REDDITCH man has been hit with a court bill of £2,211 after being prosecuted by trading standards officials for offences relating to the possession and sale of illegal tobacco.

Dudley Magistrates Court was told trading standards officers inspected Baba Shaheed, in High Street, Lye, in April 2015 and found six sleeves and 11 individual packs of cigarettes, none of which displayed the correct labelling and warnings and were also missing UK duty paid labels.

Shop owner Muhammed Fazal Ur Rehman, aged 31, of Salop Road, pleaded guilty to three offences and was fined £426 with £1,585 costs, £180 criminal court charges and a £20 victim surcharge when sentenced on November 5.

Councillor Rachel Harris, Dudley's cabinet member for health, said: “Selling illegal tobacco is a crime and offenders need to know they will face consequences if they choose to deal in illegal products.”