Knifes bought by a 16 year old teenager in three shops without asking for ID.
Isle of Wight Council Trading Standards Service and Hampshire Constabulary have expressed disappointment at the results of a recent test purchase exercise.
On Wednesday 19 August 2009, a 16 year old teenager with the full supervision of undercover police and trading standards officers, visited eight shops in Newport and tried to buy a knife.
The legal age to buy a knife of any kind is 18. Although five shops refused to serve the youngster without ID, three shops processed the sale without asking for proof of age.
The knives that were sold included a 'boot knife'. This is a fixed blade knife and is often concealed by usually being attached to the shoe or a person's belt. This can make the carrying of this knife illegal.
Isle of Wight Council Cabinet member with responsibility for Community Safety Barry Abraham said "This latest test purchase exercise is particularly disappointing. Previous exercises where underage teenagers try to buy knives or alcohol have often shown shops are very robust in checking the age of customers and refusing the sale.
"The council and police both work together with local traders to educate them about the UK's laws on selling goods. The public should be reassured that the whole reason these tests take place are to combat illegal sales of products to underage people, ensuring that those retailers who make mistakes are educated to make sure they don't do it again"