BOLTON booze smugglers will face the permanent loss of their vehicles and a much greater risk of being disqualified from driving under a new Customs crackdown.

And publicans, off-licence owners and restaurant bosses who buy the contraband alcohol will lose their licences.

Treasury Minister Dawn Primarolo outlined new get-tough punishment in the Commons.

Cross-channel contraband is costing the drinks industry in the North-west millions of pounds a year.

Currently, smugglers of alcohol and tobacco can have their vehicle impounded and have to pay £250 to get it back.

In future, a first offence will require repayment of the £250 plus half the duty owed on the seized goods, on a second offence it will be £1,000 and the full duty evaded and for subsequent offences the vehicle will not be returned.

Customs will in future press for automatic driving bans for people caught smuggling, the toughest possible fines and seek to recover compensation for duty on previous trips.

In future, licencing magistrates will be informed of any pub, off-licence or restaurant buying smuggled booze or tobacco with a view to the immediate revocation of their drinks licence.

Smugglers using a goods vehicle will find the Traffic Commissioners revoking their operators licence.

And there will be no cases where people are let off prosecution.

There will soon be a move to change the law so Customs can swiftly sell off seized vehicles without having to store them for months - which currently costs almost £2 million a year.

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