I've had a couple of guests asking about the tax free allowance. As I don't have a printer, I advised them to go to the 3 W's and print this page off. HMRC don't have a leg to stand on. They have no right to confiscate ciggies over and 800.
Arrivals from EU countries
When arriving into the UK from an EU country you can bring in an unlimited amount of most goods.
For excise goods such as alcohol and tobacco, there are no restrictions. However you must meet the conditions below:
•You transport the goods yourself.
•The goods are for your own use or as a gift. If the person you give the goods to pays you in any way - including reimbursing you for any expenses or payment in kind - then it's not a gift and the goods may be seized.
•The goods are duty and tax paid in the EU country where they were acquired.
If you don't meet these conditions, the goods and any vehicle that transported them, may be seized.
You can read more about Excise Duty in the guide 'Customs Duty, Excise Duty and Import VAT: introduction'. You'll find a link to this in the ‘More useful links’ section below.
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/customs/arriving/arrivingeu.htm