4m seized cigarettes fuel energy grid

More than four million cigarettes seized from a suspected smuggler at a British ferry port have been burned to fuel the National Grid, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) said.

The 4.6 million "Lambert and Butler" branded cigarettes were found by customs officers in a lorry at Newhaven, East Sussex, after arriving by ferry from Dieppe.

A Spanish lorry driver was charged with evading £714,000 in duty when the load was allegedly smuggled into the UK in March 2007. He was remanded in custody when he appeared at Southampton Magistrates' Court yesterday until his next court appearance on 3 March, HMRC said.

A HMRC spokesman said: "The cigarettes have been burned at a power station to fuel the National Grid."

He added that cigarette smuggling costs the UK economy millions of pounds in lost revenue each year, which could be used to fund public services.