TRADING standards officers in Wiltshire say they are shocked after more than one in three stores tested in an undercover survey sold knifes to a 14 year old.
Out of 54 retailers tested in the survey, conducted by Wiltshire County Council, 19 sold potentially lethal knifes to an underage youth.
In one case a 14 year old managed to buy a seven-inch butcher knife, but others sold included kitchen knives, craft knives, DIY knives and steak knives.
In west Wiltshire, five out of 11 retailers tested sold the knives to the council's underage volunteers, while in north Wiltshire the failure rate was four stores out of 11 tested.
Wiltshire County Council's chief trading standards officer Steve Clover said: "We are shocked by these results. The work of the trading standards service shows the need for monitoring underage sales of knives, particularly when the topic of knife attacks is under considerable debate at the moment."
Under the Offensive Weapons Act 1996 it is an offence to sell a knife to anyone under 16 years old. Businesses who break the law face a maximum £5,000 fine or up to six months imprisonment.
All of the stores were visited during the October half-term break.
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