Trading Standards carry out visits to all shops that sell age-restricted products such as alcohol, fireworks, tobacco, and other products, and give them help and advice on how to make sure that they don’t break the law.
Did you know:
- Tobacco - About 9% of children between 11 and 15 years old smoke, and every day 450 children in the UK take up smoking.
- Alcohol - Nearly 1 in 4 secondary school children aged between 11 and 15 years old, drink alcohol each week.
- Fireworks - Over half of all firework injuries happen to children under the age of 15.
Trading Standards regularly test shops by sending in a young volunteer who tries to test purchase one of these products. Traders who sell to our volunteers face prosecution!
Trading Standards also investigate cigarettes and alcohol being sold to children from houses.
It is also an offence for adults to buy alcohol on behalf of children. If you are caught buying for a child the Police could issue you with an £80 penalty notice, or a court could fine you up to £5,000
If you know of anyone who sells to children or adults who are buying alcohol for children, report it on 08454 04 05 06.
If you work in a shop and want to receive information about selling age restricted products, or want to join our Responsible Retailer Scheme click on the logo for further details or telephone us on the contact number below.
If you are aged 14 to 16 and you would like to volunteer to help us with this work, more details are available on Wigan Council's Volunteering pages.
