A BID to crackdown on lucrative cigarette and alcohol smuggling has been boosted by calls to a confidential customs hotline.

Customs and Excise officials have reported a 20 per cent increase in calls following the launch of a publicity campaign in the North-East.

Thousands of leaflets were delivered last month across the region from Tyneside to Teesside asking the public to shop criminals dealing in contraband.

Calls to a freephone hotline which were advertised on the leaflets have since shot up with seizures of smuggled cigarettes and alcohol expected to rise as a result.

The North-East has been heavily targeted by Customs and Excise as it is Britain's biggest market for the illegal trade.

A number of operations in recent years have resulted in huge seizures of cigarettes in particular.

In March customs officers seized more than half-a-million pounds worth of contraband cigarettes from industrial premises in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, which had been illegally shipped in from abroad.

The Crown brand cigarettes had arrived in a consignment from Cambodia.

Criminals dealing in contraband can face heavy fines or prison sentences of up to seven years.

North-East customs spokesman Rob Hastings-Trew said: "We're very pleased with the 20 per cent increase in calls we've received.

"Most are reporting activity at street level, such as in pubs and other locations, but this kind of information is invaluable and we don't want it to dry up."

Smuggled cigarettes and alcohol lead to billions of pounds of lost revenue for the Government which could be ploughed into services such as schools and hospitals.

Callers to the customs hotline can pass on information in confidence without fear of being identified.

They can also be eligible for a reward if their tip-off leads to a major seizure.

The freephone number to call is (0800) 595000.