Retailers breaking the law on under-age knife sales

Knife sold illegally to underage customer

One in four shops in some parts of the UK, including Rochdale, are breaking the law on under-age knife sales, the Local Government Association (LGA) said after test purchases for Trading Standards.

In the Borough of Rochdale, the Council carried out nine test purchases for knife sales between April 2016 and March 2017 and two retailers broke the law by selling to under age customers. However, the retailers were not prosecuted.

The previous year, between April 2015 and March 2016, one retailer was caught breaking the law and prosecuted, resulting in a fine of £4,000 and costs of £920.

It is illegal to sell knives to anyone aged under 18.

The LGA said heftier fines and tougher sentences are needed for irresponsible retailers who break knife sale laws.

The latest official figures showed a 20% annual rise in knife crime in England and Wales.

Simon Blackburn, chairman of the LGA 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.

"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."