Cumbrian retailers are being warned not to break strict rules on selling fireworks this year.
The warning comes in the run-up to Bonfire Night celebrations on 5 November.
Cumbria County Council's Trading Standards officers are joining forces with the police to carry out test purchases at shops across the county over the next few weeks.
A similar exercise last year found 6 per cent of shops were prepared to sell fireworks to children aged 14-15. It is illegal to sell fireworks to under-18s. Any trader who flouts the law faces possible prosecution.
Strict new laws have been introduced in recent years to tackle the anti-social use of fireworks, including:
- Maximum permitted noise level of 120 decibels for fireworks for use by the general public;
- A firework curfew prohibiting firework use between 11:00pm and 7:00am with limited exceptions.
The law also prohibits under-18s from possessing firework in public places with offenders liable to fixed penalty notices.
Phil Ashcroft, head of Cumbria Trading Standards, said "Fireworks can be a significant nuisance and local resident residents expect us to clamp down on anyone breaking the rules.
We also want to warn people in the run-up to Bonfire Night not to buy fireworks from anywhere they are not sure about, such as car boot sales or from the back of a van. The fireworks might not meet British Standards and could be unsafe, putting family and friends in danger."
ENDS
Media enquiries to Mark Graham, Media Officer on 01228-606337