Teens sold knives and vapes in undercover operation

Trading standards investigated whether stores were illegally selling knives to underage customers

Knives, a corrosive substance, alcohol and vapes were illegally sold to children in a Trading Standards operation.

Tip-offs from the public prompted a probe into whether stores in Gloucestershire were breaking the law and training their staff correctly, the county council said.

Two operations led by Trading Standards saw 15 to 17-year olds going undercover in 48 shops.

Of those shops, 14 sold age-restricted products to Gloucestershire police cadet volunteers.

In August the teenagers went undercover in 27 shops, where nine sales were made.

Gloucestershire Trading Standards also worked with Tewkesbury and Cheltenham councils on Operation Shield targeting anti-social behaviour in town centres.

As part of that, another 21 shops were visited in Tewkesbury and Cheltenham.

On entering the shops the teenagers picked out age-restricted products.

Most staff challenged them, but in the 14 businesses that sold them the products made no checks.

Five of these sold knives and vapes to the underage volunteers.

Trading Standards said it has has written to the businesses and will visit to offer advice and guidance.

Penalties for making illegal sales to under-18s can include unlimited fines and withdrawal of a store's alcohol licence.

Gloucestershire council trading standards member, Paul Hodgkinson, said: "Of the 48 stores tested in total, it is sad to see that there were 14 sales of age-restricted products."