A former licensee was ordered to do 80 hours community service after he admitted selling 'bootleg' tobacco at his pub.

Customs and Excise officers seized 0.7 kilograms of hand-rolling tobacco when they visited the New Virginia pub in Rushton Road, Thornbury, Bradford, last August.

During questioning about the tobacco 44-year-old Donald Taylor confirmed he had been selling it on the premises for about three months.

Customs and Excise prosecutor Gillian Deane told Bradford magistrates that the revenue lost in total was slightly more than £1,600. But she said they took a serious view of the matter because licensed premises and shops were the type of businesses they were trying to protect by taking strong action against goods, which had not borne excise duty and were being sold in this country.

Taylor, of Maple Avenue, Thornbury, admitted two offences under the Customs and Excise Management Act 1979.

He was also ordered to pay £1,600 compensation.

Solicitor Kerry Macgill told the court that Taylor, who is now unemployed, had become licensee of the pub in the hope of making a reasonable living.

But he said his client had difficulty making ends meet and he was told that others were getting custom by providing the tobacco. "The villains are those who provide and import these amounts of tobacco without paying the duty,'' said Mr Macgill.

He said Taylor had lost his job and there was very little chance of him getting back into the licensed trade.

"He doesn't know what the future holds for him,'' he added.

Customs spokesman Chris Welton said: "The message is that people tend to think bootlegging is fair game but it is cheating everyone who pays tax.

"About £1billion is being lost in revenue every year in this country through smuggling and bootlegging.

"Just think what the Treasury could do with that amount of money."

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