Restaurants get whiff of cigar scam

Signs are emerging that UK restaurant owners have been targeted by people selling fake Havana cigars, following a recent warning about the scam.

Several restaurateurs have reported being offered Havana cigars outside the usual distribution channels, after a warning was issued by importer Hunter and Frankau.

"We have passed on the details to Customs and Excise," said a spokesman for the company, which claims more and more fake cigars are reaching the UK from Cuba.

The counterfeits are often difficult to detect until smoked.