Residents and shoppers in Woolwich had the chance to meet the specially trained dogs that are helping the Council to sniff out those guilty of selling illicit tobacco. Residents had the opportunity to watch sniffer dogs Yoyo, Phoebe and Milo giving real life demonstrations in General Gordon Square, Woolwich.

Explaining the dangers of illegal products

The two-day roadshow on Friday 31 March and Saturday 1 April was part of the South East London wide 'Keep It Out' campaign set up by the Royal Borough of Greenwich.

The roadshow also gave out information on how to identify illegal tobacco products and the health dangers they pose, as well as details of how to report retailers who illegally distribute the products.

'Smoking remains an important public health issue'

Councillor David Gardner, the Royal Borough's Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Social Care said: "Smoking remains an important public health issue for us, and our campaigns in Greenwich have successfully reduced the level of smoking in the borough to one in seven adults, well below the national average. This makes it all the more important for us to tackle illegal tobacco as readily available cheap tobacco, sold without restrictions."

Councillor Jackie Smith, the Cabinet member for Community Safety and Environment, said: "It's time that we stamp out illegal tobacco for good. People might be attracted by the cheap price tag, but it's worth considering the great cost to your health. Illegal tobacco supports other criminal acts and has many damaging effects on our local communities, as well as causing poor health for yourself and others around you."

Get help to quit smoking

Stopping smoking is not easy, but there's loads of free support near you. From one to one support to drop-in clinics, the Greenwich Stop Smoking Service can help.