Havering checks shops over underage knife and vape sales
Havering Council’s Trading Standards team has carried out checks across the borough aimed at preventing retailers from selling knives, vapes and other age-restricted products to people under 18.
The enforcement activity focused on local shops and the legal controls around products that can carry safety risks when sold to children or teenagers. The council said the work formed part of efforts to stop underage sales in the London Borough of Havering, following local cases such as the Hornchurch vape case.
Knives and vapes targeted in retail checks
The products named by the council were knives and vapes, both of which are subject to age restrictions in the UK. Retailers are expected to have systems in place to prevent sales to under-18s, including staff training and age-check procedures at the point of sale.
Trading Standards checks are commonly used to test whether shops are following those rules. They can also help identify where businesses need clearer procedures before a breach becomes repeated or more serious.
Trading Standards action across Havering
Havering Council said its Trading Standards team had been out across the borough as part of the crackdown. The authority did not provide the number of premises visited, the locations checked or whether any enforcement notices, warnings or penalties were issued.
For residents, the update confirms that underage sales controls remain an active local enforcement area. For retailers, it is a reminder that knives, vapes and other age-restricted products should not be sold unless staff are satisfied the buyer is legally old enough.
Council website notice on 4 June
The council also advised that its website may experience intermittent connection issues on Thursday 4 June 2026 between 8.30am and 9am because of scheduled updates.
Havering Council apologised for any inconvenience during that maintenance window.
Source: London Borough of Havering
Context & actions About this article
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This brief is based on Havering Council’s published update and keeps to the details confirmed in that notice.
- Identified Havering Council as the named public authority in the source notice.
- Confirmed Trading Standards as the team described as carrying out the checks.
- Kept the targeted products to the named age-restricted items: knives and vapes.
- Separated the council website maintenance notice from the enforcement update.
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- Havering Council
- Scope
- London Borough of Havering
- Updated
- 2026-06-03 23:13
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