A company has been fined £10,000 after a 13-year-old Croydon boy managed to buy a knife from its website.

Since June Croydon Council has carried out 11 prosecutions as part of its trading standards team leading a nationwide pilot clampdown backed by National Trading Standards against online knife sales to children.

Perkin Knives Limited, based at Seven Kings Road in Ilford, pleaded guilty on November 5 at Camberwell Magistrates’ Court to selling a £35.55 Damascus knife on February 27 via the website www.perkinknives.com to a 13-year-old buyer in Croydon.

The teenager, who bought the Blanc Blade Damascus knife without being asked to enter a date of birth, was a volunteer test purchaser working with council’s trading standards team.

Under the Criminal Justice Act 1988 as amended by the Offensive Weapons Act 1996, it is illegal to sell a knife, knife blade, razor blade or axe to anyone under 18.

The knife was delivered to a home in Croydon on March 18. The council had sent an advance letter to the company on February 15 warning that a test purchase was likely.

At Tuesday’s sentencing, magistrates ordered Perkin Knives Limited to pay a total of £11,914.80, which included the £10,000 fine plus court costs and a victim surcharge.

Shifa Mustafa, Croydon Council’s executive director of place, said: “Companies that sell these products must have proper safeguards to both follow the law and protect the public, especially young people.

“Whether online or in shops, if companies fail in this duty the council’s trading standards team will continue to take action.”