A MUM-OF-TWO attempted to smuggle nearly 35,000 cigarettes and 1.65kg of rolling tobacco through Southampton Docks, a court was told.

Tina Vaughan tried to avoid paying almost £11,500 in tax by storing the tobacco in her luggage following a 13-night luxury Caribbean cruise.

The 58-year-old had been island hopping with her former partner on the P&O cruise ship Britannia before returning to Southampton with 34,760 cigarettes and 1.65kg of hand rolling tobacco.

Vaughan and her ex-partner were stopped at the terminal after trying to walk through the green customs channel – for those who have nothing to declare.

Vaughan, a self-employed plumber, pleaded guilty to fraudulently evading duty at Southampton Magistrates’ Court and was handed a 12-month community order and told to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work.

She was also ordered to pay court costs of £45 and an £85 victim surcharge.

Prosecuting, Rachel Standish said Vaughan knew the tobacco was over the allowance, but she “saw a bargain”.

She added that there were “elements of planning” in Vaughan’s actions, as she had purchased an extra suitcase to store the tobacco.

Vaughan told the bench she and her ex-partner had experienced doubts and initially split up the cigarettes to throw them into the sea.

She said they had reported how much tobacco there was to a staff member on board the ship, who took their details but “did not seem that worried to help”.

Vaughan said they eventually decided to “take the risk”, keeping it so her ex-partner could carry on smoking and spend his pension on food instead of tobacco.

When questioned by officers at Southampton’s cruise terminal, Vaughan admitted she had “a lot more” than the legal allowance of 200 cigarettes in her luggage.

A probation report stated Vaughan had previously expressed anger over the price of cigarettes in the UK, and her decision was “impulsive” and borne out of loyalty to her ex-partner.

The report said there did not seem to be a financial reason behind Vaughan’s actions other than to help her ex-partner with his smoking habit.

The court heard that since the incident, Vaughan’s emotional wellbeing had suffered and she had run into thousands of pounds worth of debt.

Chairman John Crosthwaite-Eyre said: “It is quite clear to us and probation that this was a stupid, impulsive one-off.

“You must now put this behind you – it’s over. You are 58 years old and you have your life in front of you still. Do not let this burden you.”

Mr Crosthwaite-Eyre said there was a huge demand for good plumbers and urged Vaughan to get back into work and feel “self-worthy” again.