iSToCk.Com / DEVENorr News Irresponsible knife retailers putting lives at risk, warns LGA iSToCk.Com / horDiEiEV romAN Nearly one in four shops is breaking the law on underage knife sales, with blades sold to children as young as 13. Now the Local Government Association (LGA) is calling on the retail industry to help fund testpurchasing operations to ensure compliance. Trading standards teams conducted test purchases across England, as official figures from the Office for National Statistics showed a 20 per cent rise in knife crime in England and Wales in 2016/17, compared with the previous year. In one area, an underage teenager was sold a machete, another a lock knife and a 14-year-old bought a nine-inch serrated knife. It is illegal to sell knives to anyone aged under 18. After the governments recent proposal to ban home delivery of knives to prevent underage sales, the LGA is calling on the retail industry to fund test-purchasing operations and to work more closely with councils to help improve compliance levels. The LGA also wants greater fines and tougher sentences for irresponsible retailers who break knife-sale laws. Trading standards test purchasing across England found that: Seven out of 29 shops including two major supermarket chains sold a knife to a person under 18 in tests undertaken by Devon, Somerset and Torbay Trading Standards, with Avon and Somerset Police. Blades sold included a machete, a lock knife and kitchen knives. A nine-inch serrated knife was sold to a 14-year-old Of 725 test purchases carried out by London Trading Standards and the police across the capital in 2016, 96 retailers eight a month sold knives and blades to children as young as 13 Four retailers, including a major supermarket chain, sold either razor blades or craft knives to a 15-year-old boy and a 16-year-old boy, in separate test purchases done by Royal Greenwich Trading Standards and the police A trader who sold a four-piece craft-knife set to two underage teenagers has been ordered to pay more than 2,000 in fines and costs after a prosecution by Croydon Council Those retailers who failed test purchases have either been prosecuted or cautioned, face prosecution, or have received warnings and compliance advice on underage knife sales. Views sought on laser-pointer safety Building rules and fire safety to be scrutinised The government has launched a call for evidence into the regulation of laser pointers including the potential value of retail licensing schemes, advertising restrictions and potential restraints on ownership to address serious public safety concerns. It is a response to an increase in the number of laser incidents in recent years. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has also reported a rise in laser pointers being directed into the cockpits of helicopters and planes during take-off and landing. The government is seeking responses from business groups, aviation and transport bodies, retailers, health organisations and the general public, to help identify and tackle the problem, while enabling legitimate businesses to continue to trade. Under current regulations, only laser pointers that are considered safe for their intended use should be sold to consumers. However, there is evidence that these regulations are not always adhered to, and cases of high-powered lasers being sold sometimes unwittingly for general use have been reported. The government will look at the potential for rolling out a UK-wide scheme that will require retailers or consumers to obtain a licence for a high-powered laser pointer. It will also consider the advantages and disadvantages of licensing schemes, advertising bans, and an awareness-raising campaign to educate people about the dangers of laser pointers. Work has already started with online retail sites such as Amazon to ensure that unsafe laser pointers, when identified, are removed from sale. Business Minister Margot James said: We must look carefully to make sure regulations are keeping up with the increased use of these devices. We want to hear from business groups, retailers and consumers about the best way to protect the public from this kind of dangerous behaviour, and improve safety. The consultation closes on 6 October. An independent review of Building Regulations and fire safety has been announced by the government in the wake of the Grenfell Tower tragedy. The review will be led by Dame Judith Hackitt, chair of EEF: The Manufacturers Organisation, and will look at current Building Regulations and fire safety, with a particular focus on high-rise, residential buildings. It will report jointly to the Communities Secretary, Sajid Javid, and the Home Secretary, Amber Rudd. It will examine: The regulatory system around the design, construction and on-going management of buildings in relation to fire safety Related compliance and enforcement issues International regulation and experience in this area As part of the review, Dame Judith will consult the Buildings Regulations Advisory Committee, which advises the government as well as the construction and housing industry, the fire sector, international experts, MPs and the public on changes to Building Regulations. The review will also consider the implications of changes to the regulatory system on other government objectives. White goods warning more egg products withdrawn There are fears that more people could be killed or seriously injured by fires caused by faulty white goods if the government doesnt take decisive action. London Fire Brigade (LFB) has teamed up with other safety bodies and the Mayor of London to write to Prime Minister Theresa May about the thousands of dangerous appliances that remain in homes across the UK. It is also highlighting the lack of an adequate product recall system, three years after a review of it was first announced. The letter calls for one trusted, searchable place to look up appliances to find out if they have a recall notice on them, which LFB believes should be set up centrally on gov.uk The call to action came on the first anniversary of the major fire at Shepherds Court in Shepherds Bush. The blaze destroyed the homes and all the possessions of a number of families living in the tower block. The investigation showed that the fire was caused by a faulty Indesit tumble dryer, which was subject to a corrective action/safety notice by Whirlpool, the parent company. A further six products have been withdrawn from the UK market as a result of the egg scandal that has swept through Europe during August. Braeforge and Oliver Kay liquid-egg products, which can be used as ingredients in the bakery and catering industries, are the latest products to be affected. In August, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) reported that 700,000 eggs contaminated by the insecticide fipronil had entered the UK food chain. Fipronil is authorised in the EU for use in veterinary medicine to combat insects such as fleas, lice and ticks. The current residues found in eggs are believed to have been caused by the illegal use of the chemical on farms in the Netherlands to combat parasites in chickens. Authorities in member states have been investigating and several arrests have been made. So far, 31 products have been withdrawn from sale in the UK. The FSA said the number of contaminated eggs found represents 0.007 per cent of the eggs consumed in the UK every year. It added: It remains the case that it is very unlikely that there is any risk to public health from consuming these foods.