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Â鶹ԼÅÄ reporter attacked in Glasgow market tobacco sting

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Reporter Sam Poling is helped by a Â鶹ԼÅÄ security guard (whose face is pixillated) as she is attacked by one of the cigarette sellers
Image caption,

Ms Poling's hand was bruised in the attack in the east end of Glasgow

A Â鶹ԼÅÄ reporter was assaulted during an undercover investigation into illegal sales of tobacco.

Investigative journalist Sam Poling was filming a documentary at a market in the east end of Glasgow at the time.

In footage released by the production team, one man is shown pushing Ms Polling then another runs at the film crew with a metal pole.

Ms Poling' s hand was bruised and the production team's car was damaged.

The attack happened when Ms Poling confronted market sellers following months of secret filming for the programme Â鶹ԼÅÄ Scotland Investigates: Smoking and the Bandits.

Images taken from the footage show Ms Poling being attacked by a cigarette seller and pulled away by Â鶹ԼÅÄ security guards.

As the film crew tried to leave, another man was filmed running towards them carrying a long metal pole.

Image caption,

Pictures of a man running at the film crew with a metal pole have been released

A Â鶹ԼÅÄ spokesman said the investigation revealed that more than half of all hand-rolled tobacco in Scotland was either counterfeit or smuggled and one in five cigarettes smoked was fake.

He said: "Using secret filming, the investigation exposes the gangs which are costing British tax-payers £4bn in lost revenue a year.

"The investigation goes to the heart of the supply chain and reveals the criminals' products are the most poisonous ever discovered in the UK."

Footage from the incident will feature in the programme.

Â鶹ԼÅÄ Scotland Investigates: Smoking and the Bandits will be broadcast on Wednesday 19 January at 1930 GMT on Â鶹ԼÅÄ One Scotland. It will be available on the Â鶹ԼÅÄ iPlayer for a week afterwards.

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