Croydon’s oldest department store has been fined £3,000 for selling knives to school children.

Allders pleaded guilty to the charge at Croydon Magistrates’ Court on Friday, after Croydon Council used a sting operation to catch them in the act.

The court heard how volunteers working with council trading standards officers bought a set of six kitchen knives from the North End store in December last year.

The 15-year-old girl and 14-year-old boy were sold the knives in the kitchen department of the store by a part-time shop assistant, who was just 16.

Allders claimed in court that various systems had been put in place to prevent underage sales, including removal of all single knives.

Allders is the council’s 14th prosecution following a series of test purchases across Croydon, which was part of the borough’s youth crime campaign Operation Safe for All.

Councillor Gavin Barwell, cabinet member for community services and cohesion, said: "It is very disappointing that this well respected store has broken the law in this way and I hope this case acts as a warning to others - we will not hesitate to prosecute anyone who sells knives to children.

"One has to question the reasoning behind giving such a young employee, who only worked Saturdays and was not even old enough to purchase a knife, responsibility for making such important decisions about who to sell age-restricted products to.

"Maybe a change in the law is needed to prevent anyone under 18 from selling products they are not old enough to buy.

“We are determined to tackle the problem of knife crime and intend to continue with our programme of underage test purchasing in the borough.

"Unfortunately, what our checks have shown so far is that too many shops are still selling potential weapons to young people.

"They are undermining the work we are trying to do to make Croydon a safer place in which to live and work, and to visit."

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