Barking and Dagenham Council is committed to making sure young people are protected from age restricted products such as alcohol, knives and vapes.

On Monday 17 February, Trading Standards officers ran an underage test purchasing operation where a 15-year-old attempted to buy alcohol.

Of the 15 premises visited, two failed and sold to the young person.

On Friday 21 February, Trading Standards teamed up with the Police and Police Cadets and ran a similar operation but this time for vapes and knives.

Out of the 10 premises visited, one sold a vape to a 14-year-old.

The businesses that failed the tests now face further action, including licence reviews and prosecutions.

Councillor Syed Ghani, Cabinet Member for Enforcement and Community Safety said: “The council has a zero-tolerance policy on underage sales, with protecting young people as our top priority.

"We are pleased to see that the majority of businesses are complying with the law, but we will continue to take strong action against those who fail to uphold these important regulations."

The council will now conduct checks on the Challenge 25 policy and the Responsible Retailer Schemes for knives and vapes. Any businesses that fail will face further action and removal from the scheme.

If residents are aware of a business selling age-restricted products to young people under 18, they should report them to tradingstandards@lbbd.gov.uk.