From 1st October 2007, it is illegal to sell cigarettes, tobacco products, knives or razor blades to anyone under the age of 18. For more information on underage sales, click on the links to the factsheets on the right. The Department of Health's website also has more details.

We will send Nottingham retailers a free information pack which includes a DVD for staff training, business factsheets and point of sale material. Contact us for more information.

For more information on proof of age cards see the link on the left.

Trading Standards enforces most of the laws relating to underage sales. It is illegal to sell some products to people under a specified age. Any retailer found guilty of breaking the relevant laws could face substantial fines or imprisonment for some offences. The retailer could also lose their licence to sell certain products, or have restrictions placed on their licence. The table shows the ages when these products can be legally purchased.

Product	Age
Alcohol	18
Solvents	18
Butane gas cigarette lighter refills	18
Fireworks (except party poppers etc)	18
Cigarettes and tobacco products	18
Knives and razor blades	18
Videos, DVDs & some computer/video games	18/15/12
National Lottery and Instants tickets	16
Chocolate liqueurs	16
Party poppers, caps, throwdowns etc	16
Aerosol paint containers	16
Petrol	16

The law on alcohol sales is also enforced by the Police. Trading Standards do not enforce the law on Lottery and Instants tickets - this is done by the National Lottery.

Trading Standards and other bodies such as the National Lottery have a policy of being active in finding retailers who break the law. This includes investigating complaints and carrying out test purchases. Where necessary, Trading Standards will prosecute retailers who offend. In some cases, fixed penalty notices may be given to the actual seller and the designated premises supervisor, while the business may be investigated and prosecuted. We also encourage members of the public to assist us by reporting shops they see selling age restricted products to children, either by contacting Trading Standards or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.