Knives sold to children by one in seven Merton shops

8:20am Wednesday 7th January 2009

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Knives were sold to under 18s by one in seven shops visited during a trading standards investigation, Merton Council has revealed.

The exercise, which took place in October and November, involved 30 visits to the borough’s shops by child volunteers from the Royal Marine Cadet Corp. Four of them were allowed to buy knives, which should not be sold to anyone under 18.

Similar investigations took place across all London boroughs, and one in five of the capital’s shops were found to break the law on knife sales.

Councillor Diane Neil Mills, the council’s cabinet member for regeneration, said: “This initiative demonstrated that the majority of retailers are aware of the law. However, there is no room for complacency as one illegal sale is one too many.”

The council is investigating the shops that sold knives to children, but would not reveal their names.

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