COUNTY businesses are now able to gain support to help prevent the sale of age-restricted products to children.
Worcestershire Trading Standards has signed up to the online No Proof of Age – No Sale scheme.
The easy-to-understand took kit gives shop managers and staff free access to guidance on how to implement an effective system to prevent the illegal sale of age restricted goods and services to young people.
It can be applied to all age restricted products and premises.
The toolkit includes specific support on: Alcohol, Knives, Tobacco, Distance Selling, Fireworks, Games, Petroleum, UV Tanning, Tattooing, E-Cigarettes, Gambling & Lotteries, Animals/Pets, Sex Shops/Establishments, Skin Piercing, Takeaways, and Videos/DVDs.
Businesses would normally have to pay for access, but Worcestershire Trading Standards adoption of the scheme means local businesses can receive free access to the online toolkit for the next three-years.
Coun Marcus Hart, cabinet member for Communities at Worcestershire County Council said: “Having the toolkit available will help our officers to support local businesses in preventing sales, but more importantly this wider offer will help businesses to help themselves.
“Our Trading Standards service already makes a wide range of information and advice available to businesses, so there is really no excuse if businesses get things wrong.”
Dr Lisa McNally, director of Public Health for Worcestershire County Council said: “Business owners can educate themselves and their staff and use the materials from the toolkit to put in place systems and procedures to protect themselves if things go wrong.”
Trained staff can reduce the risk to young people by being vigilant and refusing a sale to anyone under the age of or when they suspect that an adult may be buying age-restricted products on behalf of someone underage.
Businesses can find out more about the toolkit at www.proofofage.org.uk
Call Trading Standards on 0808 223 1133 or e-mail [email protected] for more.
