KNIVES are being sold to underage children after police conducted checks. 

An undercover operation involving a 16-year-old teenager was carried out at nine shops.

After a rise in knife crime and concerns about the number of people carrying knives, checks have been carried out.

Police refused to reveal which shop had chosen to break broken the law and sell the knives, but a written warning has been issued.

The joint operation between Trading Standards and Essex Police’s Castle Point community policing team involved a test purchaser.

It is illegal to sell a knife to anyone under the age of 18 - unless it has a folding blade which is three inches or shorter.

A spokesman for the Essex Police’s Castle Point and Rochford community policing team said: “Not everything we do is in plain sight, our officers having been working alongside officers from Essex Trading Standards carrying out test purchases across both districts under Operation Sceptre.

“Selling knives to under 18s is a criminal offence, it is irrelevant whether they are male or female and for what purpose.

“For this reason we visited a number of stores with a volunteer test purchaser, aged 16 years old.

“We are pleased to report that out of nine stores visited, we experienced only one failure.

“That store advised that the knife was sold ‘in good faith’ to our test purchaser.

“However the law is the law and this is an arrestable offence with up to six months imprisonment and a fine.

“The store has been issued a written warning and is subject to further unannounced retest’s and both Trading Standards and Essex Police will continue to work with them.”