Underage sales
We are committed, as a council, to reducing underage sales and
have a proactive approach to stop sales of age restricted products
to children.
Whilst maintaining a robust and fair enforcement policy against
those traders who disregard their responsibilities, we also are
keen to work with traders who want to comply, providing them with
advice and information.
We also use intelligence gathered from the local community and
others to identify areas where these illegal sales may be taking
place and sometimes individual businesses. These areas/businesses
can then be included in one of test purchase exercises
using young volunteers. If you are interested in
learning more about how you can help in this area then please
register your interest by e-mailing us at trading.standards@peterborough.gov.uk
If you sell...
• Alcohol
It is illegal to sell alcohol to anyone under the age of 18 years.
It is also illegal to buy alcohol if you are under 18. It is
illegal for an adult to buy alcohol from a retailer with the
intention of passing it on to a person under 18
• Cigarettes (and tobacco products)
It is illegal to sell cigarettes and tobacco to a person under 18.
Also, cigarettes must be sold in their original packaging - the
sale of single cigarettes is forbidden
• Fireworks
It is illegal for a trader to supply fireworks to anyone under 18 -
the exceptions to this are those items classified as suitable for
persons aged 16 and over, such as caps, cracker snaps, novelty
matches, party poppers and throwdowns. All other fireworks are
classed as Adult Fireworks and may only be sold to over 18’s. Any
fireworks sold must be sold in their original packaging, which will
show the warnings about the firework.
• Knives
Items such as knives, blades, razors, axes and any other product
that contains a blade or sharp point (which can be adapted to cause
an injury) can be used as an offensive weapon - It is illegal to
sell these items to a person under 18.
• Solvents and Lighter Refills
It is illegal to supply a substance to anyone under 18, or a person
acting on behalf of someone under 18 (if the trader knows or has
reasonable cause to believe that the substance, or its fumes, are
likely to be inhaled by the person to achieve intoxication).
Solvents include, butane gas, lighter fuels, solvent based glues
and adhesives, aerosols, nail varnish remover, anti-freeze and
correction fluid.
• DVD’s/Videos/ Computer Games 
It is illegal for a trader to supply a person who has not attained
the age of 18 with a film that is a 18 rated film or game. (It is
an offence to supply a film or game with a 12 or 15 rating to a
person who has not attained that age)
• Tattoos
• Crossbows
...you must be sure someone is 18 years of age or older
before selling to them.
* Lottery Tickets;
* Aerosol Paints;
* Petroleum
* Poisons
* Liqueur Chocolates
. . . are age 16
If you have any doubt about the age of
anyone wanting to buy any of these items, ask them for proof of
age.
If you sell an age restricted product to
someone under age then you could face a large fine or even a prison
sentence—at the very least you may receive a fixed penalty. This
applies to the business, but also to the person who makes the sale.
If you have an alcohol licence, you may end up losing it.
Think 21
Think 21 means that if you think someone looks under 21 then ask
for proof of age. Some
retailers are now using age 25 as a guide—anyone who looks 25 or
under gets asked to prove their age. This extra caution ensures
that you don’t supply to someone under 18 by mistake.
Proof of age
Where you ask for proof of age, it is important that you only
accept legitimate identification.
Legitimate ID includes:
• PASS-approved identification
card,
• driving licence, or
• a passport.
Proxy Sales
If you think that an adult is buying alcohol or tobacco products
for someone under 18, then refuse to sell to them and contact the
Trading Standards Service for advice. Anyone who buys alcohol for a
person under 18 may be committing an offence by doing so.
Defences
If you do commit an offence by selling to someone under-age,
some legislation allows you to defend yourself if you are able show
that you took all reasonable precautions and exercised all due
diligence to avoid committing the offence.
When you refuse to sell because someone looks under 21 (or 25) and
can’t provide proof of their age, then make a note of this in a
Refusals Book. This record will show that you have taken
precautions against selling to those under 18 * and help you
satisfy a defence should you need to do so.
If you own the business and one of your staff sells to someone
under-age, then you could still commit an offence. It is therefore
important that you train your staff about under-age selling, make
sure they understand that training, and keep a record of the
training you have given them.
Age-restricted products - a consumer's guide
There are strict laws prohibiting the sale of certain items e.g.
alcohol, tobacco and fireworks to young people as they are
considered to present real risks to their health or welfare.
It is illegal for age restricted goods to be sold to those who are
below the specified age limit. A business or individual seller can
be fined or prosecuted and may lose their livelihood for making an
illegal sale.
Why do I need to be concerned?
Ignoring the risks of using restricted products under age can lead
to:
• Long term health problems from tobacco and solvent
abuse
• Serious injury or death from fireworks and solvents
• Being drawn into criminal or anti-social behaviour from
alcohol, solvent abuse and gambling
• Educational under-achievement from alcohol and solvent
abuse
For further information go to : Citizen_card or
Portman_Group
Back to think 21