Age restricted products and underage sales

Some products can only be sold to people who have reached a certain age. This is to protect the health and safety of young people.

Age limits

There are age limits for the sale of:

• alcohol
• cigarettes
• knives and offensive weapons
• spray paints
• fireworks
• DVDs, videos and computer games
• butane gas and solvents.

See the full list of age limits and maximum penalties for selling age-restricted goods:

• Age restricted products leaflet

Consumers – buying products and reporting problems

• Using Citizencard to prove your age
  Need proof of your age? Find out how to apply for a Citizencard.
• Reporting underage sales
  How to tell us if you think a business has been selling to underage customers.
• Apply to be a volunteer purchaser
  Aged 14 to 16½? You can help us check businesses that sell to underage customers.

Businesses – selling products

• Preventing underage sales
  How businesses can ensure that they don't sell to underage customers.
• Advice for retailers – Hantsweb
  The trading standards service in Hampshire provides an online guide to help businesses that sell age-restricted products.

Tobacco sales legislation – vending machines

From Saturday 1 October 2011 it is illegal to:

• sell cigarettes (or any other tobacco product) from an automatic vending machine in England to any person – regardless of age
• display advertisements or pictures of tobacco products on vending machines.

For advice on how this change will affect your business, please read our advice leaflet below.

Tobacco sales legislation – displaying tobacco products and prices

Starting in 2012, it will be illegal to display products containing tobacco and to display tobacco prices in England at the relevant shops and businesses below:

• From 6 April 2012 new law affects large shops selling tobacco products (other than specialist and bulk tobacconists)
• From 6 April 2015 new law applies to all other shops and businesses selling tobacco products (including specialist and bulk tobacconists)

Where appropriate, age checks must be carried out before any tobacco product is shown to a customer who asks to buy tobacco or asks for information about a tobacco product. For advice about how this legislation affects your business and any exceptions to the new law, see the Local Government Regulation website.

Acrobat (PDF)
Tobacco sales from vending machines (102k) Guidance for owners of vending machines or businesses with vending machines at their premises about the change in tobacco sales legislation on 1 October 2011 (2 pages).