Retailers flouting the law on underage blade sales despite rising knife crime

Trading standards teams at councils across the country uncovered 'shocking abuses'

It is illegal to sell knives to under-18s in England and Wales but some retailers are continuing to flout the law (PA)

Retailers are continuing to flout the law on underage knife sales, with up to a quarter of shops in some areas allowing children as young as 12 to buy them, an investigation has found.

Despite rising levels of knife crime, the Local Government Association (LGA) said irresponsible retailers are putting profits before public safety.

The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show there were 34,703 recorded knife crimes in 2016/17, a 20% increase on the previous year.

In England and Wales, it is illegal to sell blades to anyone under the age of 18, while in Scotland it is 16.

In test purchases carried out in the south-west of England for Trading Standards, one underage teenager was sold a lock knife, another was allowed to buy a machete and a 14-year-old managed to buy a nine-inch serrated blade.

Seven out of 29 shops tested in Devon, Somerset and Torbay, including two major supermarket chains, sold a knife to a person under 18 in purchases undertaken by Trading Standards working in conjunction with the police.

In London, where knife crime is a particular and rapidly rising problem, 96 out of 725 test purchases carried out last year resulted in knives and blades being sold to children as young as 13.

Four retailers in the capital, including a major supermarket chain, sold either razor blades or craft knives to a 15-year-old boy and a 16-year-old boy.

Those who failed test purchases have either been prosecuted or cautioned, face prosecution or have received warnings and compliance advice on underage knife sales.

One trader who sold a four-piece craft knife set to two underage teenagers was ordered to pay more than £2,000 including court costs after they were prosecuted by Croydon Council.

The LGA is now asking the retail industry to fund underage test buying operations and to work more closely with councils to ensure the law is complied with.

It is calling for heftier fines and tougher sentences for irresponsible retailers who continue to break the law.

Simon Blackburn, chairman of the LGA's Safer and Stronger Communities Board, said: “Despite most retailers passing test purchases of knives, trading standards teams at councils across the country are uncovering some shocking abuses of the law.

”Knives are lethal weapons in the wrong hands and it's vital that shops do all they can to prevent them falling into the hands of young people because just one illegal knife sale could have tragic consequences.”

He acknowledged that many knives carried by young people may not have been brought from High Street stores.

“Knife crime has risen significantly in the past year. Clearly there are many different ways that people access knives, whether from home, high street stores or online sales, but we need to make sure that the retail supply of knives is managed robustly across all sales points.”

Anyone who suspects that knives are being sold illegally is urged to contact their local council's Trading Standards via Citizens Advice on 03454 040506.

Additional reporting by PA