The European Commission is taking its first legal steps after receiving complaints from travellers.

Jonathan Todd, who speaks for the commission on the internal market, said UK customs may be enforcing too harshly EU guidelines on the amounts people can bring in.

He told the BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "We are concerned that people should not be stopped from bringing in larger quantities than the guideline levels, simply because it's over these indicative guidelines.

"People have a right to buy as much of goods in another country as they like, as long as it's for their own non-commercial use".

Judgement call

He admitted that customs officers have to make a judgement over whether or not a person is planning to make commercial use of the goods.

"If, for example, they've got the equivalent of five years' consumption of tobacco, then they might legitimately question a person's motives."

The EC is warning that if it receives no satisfactory reply about the UK's customs methods within two months, it will formally request a change in its practices.

Mr Todd said that if the commission is then still not satisfied, it could take the government to the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg.

Single market

Restrictions on the amount of alcohol and cigarettes that can be brought into the UK ended with the arrival of the single EU market.

But port authorities can still block imports if they feel the amount cannot be justified as being for personal use.