Age-restricted products

The full range of age-restricted products are considered to present real risks to the health and welfare of children and teenagers.

Legislation prohibits the supply (sale or hire) of the following specific products to persons under specified age limits:

• alcohol
• cigarettes, electronic cigarettes and tobacco
• fireworks
• cigarette lighter refills containing butane
• liqueur chocolates
• lottery tickets and scratch cards
• video recordings and computer games
• spray paints
• botulinum toxin and cosmetic fillers 
• corrosive substances
• bladed articles

If you are a trader in any of the above products, you and your staff should be aware of the age restrictions, the associated law and guidance.  

Trading Standards Officers need to know which premises are making, or are suspected of making, illegal sales so that steps can be taken through advice, warnings or prosecution to prevent such sales. It is vital that such knowledge or suspicions are reported to the Trading Standards service, and you can report it through our online form.

Tobacco and Vapes Bill 

On the 5 November 2024 the Government introduced the Tobacco and Vapes Bill at Westminster.

The Bill aims to introduce a progressive smoking ban to gradually end the sale of tobacco products across the UK, so that anyone born on or after 1st January 2009 will never be able to legally be sold cigarettes.  This means there will be no restrictions on people who can already legally smoke.

The Bill strengthens enforcement activity including the extension of the Tobacco Retailers Register to include vapes and other nicotine products.  It also includes provision to allow for the introduction of a retail licensing scheme in the longer term to replace the Registration scheme.  This will be subject to public consultation.

In addition, the new Bill includes further welcome enhancements including the extension of existing tobacco advertising, sponsorship and brand-sharing rules to include cigarette papers, herbal smoking products, vaping products and other nicotine products.  The legislation will also allow regulations to be made to extend smoke-free provisions in public outdoor places (or workplaces) and to make smoke-free places also vape-free and heated tobacco-free.

Minister Nesbitt said:

“The proposed measures in this Bill offer a huge public health opportunity to reduce preventable death and illness.  This is particularly important in communities where the prevalence of tobacco use is the largest contributor to health inequalities. Reducing these health inequalities across Northern Ireland is one of my key areas of focus and I am positive this legislation will make a very significant difference going forward.”  

Stricter age verification checks and a ban on doorstep drops to greater protect young people from knife crime.

On the 28 January 2025, the Government announced that stricter age verification checks and a ban on doorstep drops will be introduced to greater protect young people from knife crime. These new measures have also been identified as also preventing weapons getting into the wrong hands.

A stringent 2-step system will be mandated for all retailers selling knives online requiring customers to submit photo ID at point of sale and again on delivery. In addition, delivery companies will only be able to deliver a bladed article to the same person who purchased it.

Under the new measures a person may need to submit a copy of a photo ID such as driving licence or passport, as well as proof of address such as a utility bill, before showing ID again when the package is delivered. This could also include a person submitting a current photo or video of themselves to an online retailer alongside their ID. It will also be illegal to leave a package containing a bladed weapon on a doorstep when no one is in to receive it.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “It’s a total disgrace how easy it still is for children to get dangerous weapons online. More than two years after Ronan Kanda was killed with a ninja sword bought by a teenager online, too many retailers still don’t have proper checks in place. It’s too easy to put in false birth dates, parcels are too often being dropped off at a doorstop with no questions asked. We cannot go on like this. We need much stronger checks – before you buy, before it’s delivered.

The measures I am setting out today will be crucial in addressing this problem and are part of our Plan for Change and mission to make streets safer”.

The Government has previously announced that they will hold social media executives to account for knife crime related content which glorifies and incites violence amongst young people. Senior executives of social media companies will face significant fines in the region of £10,000 for failing to swiftly remove knife crime related content from their platforms.

The measures announced are set to be included as part of the Crime and Policing Bill which is expected to be introduced to Parliament by spring, with more proposals still to come in the coming weeks.

Contact

Trading Standards service, Directorate of City Operations, Neighbourhoods and Regulatory Services, Civic Centre, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8QH. Email: tradingstandards@newcastle.gov.uk