'Far too many' knives being sold to under 18s in Lancashire
The Home Secretary has revealed killer Axel Rudakubana was easily able to order a knife
A ban on knife sales to under-18s has proved far from effective, with authorities finding time and again that "far too many" are being sold illegally.
The sale of knives with a fixed blade of more than three inches long to under-18s is illegal in England and Wales, with retailers facing fines or prosecution if they breach the law.
However, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has revealed that Southport killer Axel Rudakubana, who is from Banks in Lancashire, was "easily able to order a knife on Amazon", when he was still aged 17 and had been convicted over violence.
She told MPs: "That's a total disgrace and it must change. So, we will bring in stronger measures to tackle knife sales online in the Crime and Policing Bill this spring."
As recently as November, 24 shops in Lancashire out of a total of 59 - visited in a joint undercover operation by Trading Standards and Lancashire Police - sold knives to volunteers aged 13 and 16, while four premises failed for the second time in the year and are now facing further enforcement action.
The law states that retailers must verify the age of the customer before selling a knife and, for those bought online, at the point of collection or delivery.
'Urgent investigation'
Amazon said that to ensure compliance, orders of knives were fulfilled by Amazon and not by third party sellers.
An Amazon spokesman said: "We take our responsibility around the sale of all age-restricted items - including bladed products - extremely seriously and have launched an urgent investigation in relation to this tragic case.
"We use trusted ID verification services to check name, date of birth and address details whenever an order is placed for these bladed items.
"We have an Age Verification on Delivery process that requires drivers to verify the recipient's age through an app on their devices before handing over a parcel containing an age-restricted item.
"Our Conditions of Use and Sale make clear that anyone under the age of 18 is not allowed to set up an Amazon account or make purchases.
"The product in question was subject to age verification checks on delivery."
Ebay currently prohibits the sale of all knives on ebay.co.uk, with the exception of cutlery.
However, online knife sales have been linked to a rise in knife crime, prompting an ongoing review by the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC).
Commander Stephen Clayman, the NPCC lead for knife crime, has led the review and will report back to the Home Office this year.
The National Business Crime Centre (NBCC) has said that sales of knives to people under the legal age "continues to be an issue for retail".
The NBCC said research has shown that far too many knives were being sold illegally, with 160 illegal sales made to children in London in a 12-month period.
It said these sales were often made by retailers who lacked knowledge or confidence when it came to selling age-restricted products.