East Sussex County Council's Trading Standards team used two volunteers – one aged 15 and one aged 16 – accompanied by a Trading Standards Officer in the undercover operation to check if shops were following the rules governing butane gas sales. It is illegal to sell butane gas to people under the age of 18.
Research shows that gas fuel is associated with a high percentage of deaths nationally from the deliberate inhalation of solvents and volatile substances.
Councillor Bob Tidy, Lead Member for Community Safety said: “Selling butane gas to someone underage is an offence and given the potentially serious consequences it is a real concern that there was such a high failure rate during our operation in Hastings.
“Our message to retailers is always insist on seeing proof of age before selling these products. We want to support businesses to help them follow the rules but for retailers who continue to break the law governing age restricted sales the penalties can be severe. Fines up to £5,000 and up to six months imprisonment can be handed out.”
Any retailer who is unsure of the law concerning the sale of age-restricted products should contact the County Council's Trading Standards Service on Eastbourne 01323 463420 (option 3) for advice.
For further information about Trading Standards and related pages on advice for businesses, visit Consumer Advice and Trading Standards.
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