Age Restricted
Sales
Trading Standards is responsible
for enforcing the laws that protect young people by setting age
restrictions for the sale of harmful products. Any retailer found
to be breaking the law could be subject to a fine up to £5000 and 6
months in prison. Products covered include cigarettes and tobacco,
alcoholic drinks, fireworks, knives and solvents.
We work with retailers to ensure that they and their
staff understand the law. Young volunteers are used, in accordance
with Government approved guidelines, to test whether retailers are
selling to young people and appropriate enforcement action is taken
if an illegal sale is made.
As a retailer, it is your responsibility to check
that a person is the right age to buy a particular product.
You should not sell the following goods to people without a
reliable form of identification:
|
Product |
Age |
|
Alcohol |
18 |
|
Solvents and Butane |
18 |
|
Fireworks |
18 |
|
Knives, Blade, Razors, Sharp Instrument and Axe |
18 |
|
Cigarettes (and other tobacco products) |
18 |
|
National Lottery tickets and scratch cards |
16 |
|
Chocolate liqueurs |
16 |
|
Aerosol spray paints (and jumbo markers) |
16 |
|
Caps, party poppers, throw downs |
16 |
|
Videos, DVDs, some video games and magazines |
16 |
The age at which you can buy tobacco products changed on 1st
October 2007. Find out more information about how this can
affect your business.
It is illegal to sell tobacco products to anyone under the age of
18. Download your poster here.
Raising the age of sale of tobacco -
A checklist for employers.
Fireworks
We all love watching fireworks. Did you know that you can only buy
fireworks at certain times of the year?
Dates fireworks can legally be sold:
- 15th October - 10th November
- 26th December - 31st December
- The day of Diwali and 3 days prior.
- The day of Chinese New Year and 3 days prior.
Fireworks - A Retailer's Guide To Selling (from The
Department for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory
Reform).
Fireworks - A retailer's Poster (A3).
You can download an Explosives Licence application here.
Are you lucky enough to look under 18?
You can find
out more information here about obtaining a valid proof of age
card.