Half fail underage knife sales test (From Somerset County Gazette)
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Half fail underage knife sales test
5:10pm Monday 10th September 2012 in Taunton
Cllr David Hall with some of the knives
THESE are just some of the knives that 15 and 16-year-olds were able to buy from traders.
A 15-year-old girl even bought a £25 axe during the trading standards random checks.
After officers sent in 'decoy kids' to check weapons weren't being sold to underage customers, five teenagers managed to buy blades illegally, including hunting and carving knives.
It is illegal to sell a knife or an axe to anyone under 18 except for folding pocket knives with blades less than three inches long.
The purchases were made in Somerset, although the county council declined to say whereabouts.
Cabinet member Cllr David Hall said: “The shops and market stalls which failed their test have been given a warning, but anyone failing a similar test in future could face a severe penalty.”
The maximum penalty for an illegal sale is up six months in jail and/or a £5,000 fine.
