A lorry driver who tried smuggling more than 400,000 illegal cigarettes in ice cream boxes has today been jailed.

Krzysztof Wiktorowicz, from Poland, was stopped entering Dover's Eastern Docks in November 2014.

He was jailed for 14 months after an investigation by HM Revenue and Customs.

Border Force officers stopped and searched Wiktorowicz's refrigerated lorry and found what appeared to be 26 pallets of ice cream.

But inside officers found two pallets containing 403,200 non-UK duty paid cigarettes.

HMRC estimated this was worth almost £100,000 in lost duty and taxes to the UK government.

Wiktorowicz, 45, was arrested and jailed at Maidstone Crown Court today.

Alan Tully, assistant director of the Fraud Investigation Service at HMRC, said: "Wiktorowicz thought the cigarettes were well concealed and wouldn’t be discovered - he was wrong - and he is now paying for his crime.

"Tobacco smuggling crime is estimated to cost the UK economy over £2 billion a year - money that should be funding vital public services.

"In 2015/16 HMRC seized 53 million cigarettes. HMRC will take the profit out of crime and make sure that the money to be made is not worth the risk.

"Don't let criminals profit – anyone with information about people who may be involved can report it by calling our 24-hour Customs hotline on 0800 59 5000."