A Birstall newsagent claims she has lost three-quarters of her trade in tobacco sales as a result of bootlegging.

Gillian Jones, of Jones Newsagents in Low Lane, has already lobbied Parliament about the problem and last week met Spen and Batley MP Mike Wood to discuss ways of tackling it.

"This does affect our trade. We sell a lot of cigarette papers but not much tobacco in our newsagents any more," she said. "Tobacco sales are now almost non-existent but used to be a good seller.

"I must sell in excess of 100 packets of cigarette papers a week but maybe only 10 packets of tobacco," she said. "Before all this we maybe sold 40 packets of tobacco a week.

"We know as soon as something goes wrong in the supply chain or someone is caught bootlegging because we will suddenly sell out of tobacco in a day."

Ms Jones blamed the Government's high pricing of cigarettes for the increase in bootlegging. She said she didn't blame hard-up people for buying bootlegged tobacco because it was only human nature. "But the people selling this are taking cash out of our tills."

She urged people who knew of any bootlegging operations to call Customs and Excise.

Spenborough Chamber of Trade president Keith Joplin said: "Independent retailers are under many different pressures and staying in business these days is not easy. They often work long hours, not just in their shops but making visits to wholesalers before or after working hours."

He added: "Bootlegging may be short term but independent retailers make a long-term commitment. When bootleggers have gone and so have the independent retailers, what will the consumer do then?"

MP Mike Wood's visit to Jones Newspapers was part of a national Bootlegging Day of Action. He said he was delighted to be supporting the campaign and visited Ms Jones to discuss ways in which the community and Parliament could help fight the bootlegging problem.

lMore than 25,000 contraband cigarettes were seized at Leeds Bradford Airport last year.