A smuggler who evaded duty of £136,000 on bootleg cigarettes and booze bought on the continent has been jailed for two years.

Haydn Barker, aged 33, made dozens of trips to the European mainland to buy cheap beer, wine, spirits and tobacco to sell back in the UK.

He was captured by chance when he took a nap at a motorway service station during one of his journey's in 1997.

Barker, of Stockton Lane, Heworth, York, was jailed at Leicester Crown Court after admitting charges of evading duty.

The court heard he was spoken to by police at Leicester Forest East services on the M1 after parking his heavily-laden vehicle in a police car bay.

More than 25,000 cigarettes, 25 litres of spirits and 324 litres of beer were among the haul recovered, said Lee Masters, prosecuting.

In interviews Barker admitted he had been making several trips abroad to buy the goods for resale in the UK.

He also named another man who he said had employed him as "a runner" to purchase the items.

The court was told Barker returned to bootlegging after his release on bail and was rearrested only by chance.

A civilian police worker serving a warrant for an alleged motoring offence at his home in January this year spotted cigarettes stored in the hallway.

Police and Customs and Excise officers were alerted and recovered 66,900 cigarettes and 66 kilos of hand-rolled tobacco.

In interviews Barker again admitted he had been making trips to the continent to buy and resell items on which he knew duty should have been paid.

Customs and Excise officers calculated that the total loss of duty from all of Barker's trips amounted to £136,611.

Miss Elaine McLaughlin, mitigating, said Barker began offending after he lost his job, and his marriage of seven years collapsed.

He had taken holidays abroad and brought back goods to sell to friends before the illegal enterprise escalated, she told the court.

Bill O'Leary, press officer for Customs & Excise, said afterwards: "This is an excellent result.

"Mr Barker has received the longest sentence in the region so far.

"Two years should send a strong signal to alcohol and tobacco fraudsters that their activities will not be tolerated.

"They are common criminals who are not interested in doing favours for families and friends but in lining their own pockets."

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