Two shops face prosecution after selling knives to undercover minors.

A council initiative sent 16-year-old volunteers to four shops in Heywood and two of them sold knives to the under age customers.

It is an offence to sell a knife, razor blade or axe to person aged under 18 and the businesses now face a full investigation and possible prosecution.

Trading standards officers carry out routine undercover test purchases using under age volunteers to help enforce this law and punish those retailers who are caught trading illegally and irresponsibly. This latest operation was carried out on Wednesday and Thursday, February 16 and 17, and visited 14 shops across the borough.

Of these, four sold a knife to a minor: two in Heywood; one in Middleton and one in Rochdale.

Andy Glover, the council's public protection manager, said: "To have found four shops in the borough selling knives to young people is disturbing and totally unacceptable. We're urging the shops to act responsibly and ask for proof of age for the sale of all age-restricted products. We take illegal sales very seriously and any traders who sell knives to under age people will be investigated and risk prosecution."

There are strict guidelines that rule the conduct of the council's test purchase exercises, which are designed to protect the young volunteer while being fair to the trader.

Volunteers must tell the truth about their age if asked.

Retailers should always ask to see photographic identification that proves the customer's date of birth if they are unsure about their age.

The council is now investigating the retailers caught acting illegally.

The maximum penalty upon conviction of selling a knife to a minor is a £5,000 fine or up to six months imprisonment