Illegal cigarettes are flooding into the city as organised gangs look to make millions off the back of the UK's sky-high tax policy.
Tax hikes have seen the recommended retail price for 20 cigarettes hit the £7 mark making Britain the second most expensive place in the world to smoke - behind only Ireland.
The soaring prices have seen people on a tight budget resort to buying under-the-counter packets - unaware of the massive added health risks they are exposing themselves to.
On top of the normal risks associated with smoking the cut-price packs and rolling tobacco pouches can be filled with plastic, sand, dust, dead insects and even rat droppings.
They look like many of the regular brands seen on display but have names like Camelot, Raquel Gold, Jin Ling and Gold Classic.
And they sell for £3 - £3.50, half the price of regular 20 packs making them an attractive proposition.
The tobacco industry estimates one in every five cigarettes smoked in Liverpool is illegal - either a counterfeit brand or packs smuggled in from abroad to avoid paying the taxes.
For info specific to your region tell us where you live
