CUSTOMS officers discovered a huge haul of illegal fireworks - but before they were shifted to safety they were stolen by thieves.
Now the potentially deadly fireworks could be anywhere in Yorkshire.
Customs officers discovered almost three tons of fireworks along with 150,000 cigarettes in a storage container in Carlton, Barnsley, on Monday.
They seized the cigarettes, but under strict health and safety regulations the fireworks could not be moved until special safety measures could be put in place.
The locks on the container were changed, but on Tuesday night the container was raided and all the fireworks stolen.
A Customs official said: "The fireworks could be anywhere now, but the thieves will be keen to shift them quickly.
"We didn't have chance to test any of the fireworks so we don't know how dangerous they are.
"If anyone is offered any for sale they should contact the police or ourselves."
The official added: "Obviously fireworks and cigarettes are a very serious and potentially lethal combination. These containers are not the proper environment for live explosives, especially when stored alongside more than 7,000 individual boxes of cigarettes.
"A small spark or flame near the container could have caused an extremely serious explosion and resulting fire.
"It is unthinkable that someone could be so stupid to store live explosives in this way." John Kinghorn, HM Revenue and Customs head of detection, added: "This is a classic example of organised criminal activity. Criminal gangs are prepared to deal in anything which makes a profit.
"They deliberately flout all laws and restrictions in the process .
"This was a lethal cocktail of smuggled counterfeit cigarettes stored with a large quantity of gunpowder in a metal container and one can only guess at the potential size of the disaster waiting to happen."
He added: "We urge members of the public not to buy fireworks from unlicensed dealers.
"If they are offered fireworks they should report this to their police or trading standards officers."
Phone Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or customs on 0800 595000.
