A shopper fined £80 by a borough council litter warden for dropping a cigarette butt down a storm drain in the town centre is furious that “there is one law for some smokers and another for others”.

For the cigarette was dropped within sight of an “illegal” cigarette sales outlet, where packets of 20 are sold for £3.50, compared to the £8.50 norm in the shops.

There are thought to be three or four such outlets in the town, with cigarettes imported mainly from European countries. They are delivered to the unofficial outlets throughout the British Isles and cost HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) £millions in lost income tax.

In fact, some are reported to be manufactured in the UK and re-imported from Europe. One smoker told the Portadown Times in recent investigation, “The ones I buy taste exactly the same as the brand I used to smoke and give me the same satisfaction – at about 40 per cent of the cost.

“My family is in the lower income bracket, and this trade saves us significantly in the weekly budget.”

A spokesman for the PSNI said that action over illegal imports was a matter for HM Revenue and Customs, “although we act on their behalf when called in”.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) said, “Working with partners in the Organised Crime Task Force (OCTF) in Northern Ireland, HMRC is working to eradicate this form of criminality.

“This is not an innocent or victimless form of crime, but one that has a devastating effect on all our communities and encourages otherwise honest people to trade with criminals.”

The smoker commented, “Next to nothing is being done about it. It’s endemic in Portadown as in other towns, and it’s not only costing the Inland Revenue, but it’s costing legitimate outlets a fortune.

“Yet, when I drop a cigarette down a drain, I’m nabbed like a common criminal. Fair enough, I broke the by-laws and I paid the fine. But what’s that compared to the trade that’s being carried on in the town? It’s done openly and hundreds are using the illicit trade.”