A TEENAGER was illegally sold knives by a town centre store as volunteer police cadets went undercover to put businesses to the test.

Owen Archer, 15, and 16-year-olds Ben Eastell and Mark Alloway walked into shops in plain clothes to find out whether they could buy blades without being challenged for ID.

High Street stores including Argos, Hobbycraft, Wilko, Poundland and the 99p Store all passed the test - with the teenagers being turned away after failing to prove their ages.

However, Mark was able to walk out of Poundworld, in East Walk, Basildon, with a packet of utility knives.

The teenager, a student at the James Hornsby School, in Leinster Road, Laindon, said: “I went in to the DIY area and picked up the utility knife set.

“There were three different types of knives in the set and on the back it said that no under-18s were allowed to buy it and you will be asked for ID.

“I put the knives on the till with a packet of biscuits and I thought I was going to get ID’d.

“All the cashier did was press the screen and told me it was £2.

“I was gobsmacked.”

It is illegal to sell a knife to anyone under the age of 18 in England.

The crackdown, which the Echo was exclusively invited to join, forms part of Operation Sceptre - a week-long campaign designed to tackle knife crime across the borough.

Poundworld was handed a warning notice by PC Chris Burch and PCSO Ian Grant, from Basildon’s community policing team.

The shop will be visited in the future to check if it continues to sell knives to under-18s, and will face prosecution if it is caught out again.

Mr Burch said: “This is why we have the challenge 25 policy, because we need to restrict the sale of knives to make sure they don’t get in the wrong hands.

“Staff at Poundworld were very disappointed that they had failed.”

Ben said: “Some of the staff looked like they might sell the knives to me but then the tills bleeped and that’s when they questioned me.”

Owen added: “I tried to buy smaller knives but straight away they questioned me and asked for ID.

“I was quite happy that they are doing the right security measures.

“A crackdown on knives being sold to youngsters can lead to a crackdown on knife crime and gangs.”