Knives sold to children in undercover investigation

[11 August 2008]

A girl, 14, and a boy, 15, were both sold knives illegally during an undercover Trading Standards investigation in Cumbria.

The boy was sold a knife in Penrith in 3 out of 10 attempts, and the girl bought a cook's knife in Ambleside on her first attempt. Selling knives to under 18s is illegal and carries a maximum sentence of six months. Phil Ashcroft, head of Trading Standards in Cumbria, said: "Our test purchasers clearly looked under 18. We're not trying to hoodwink retailers, we're trying to make sure they follow the law. Fortunately knife crime is relatively low in Cumbria, but we need to ensure this remains the case."

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