Braintree district: Help tackle sales to under-aged youngsters (From Halstead Gazette)

Braintree district: Help tackle sales to under-aged youngsters

10:00am Sunday 24th February 2013 in Halstead News

A new tool to tackle children being sold items such as knives, alcohol and fireworks has been launched.

Essex County Council has teamed up with Braintree Council and Brentwood Council to promote a new online form as a quick way to report underage sales.

It is hoped there will be a good flow of information and the councils can share the intelligence.

The councils began working together in April last year with benefits such as officers carrying out extra checks to avoid visits being duplicated.

County councillor Roger Walters, responsible for trading standards, said: “The online reporting form will enable consumers to report issues of underage sales to any of the three websites.

“We will then be able to exchange and share that information with ease ensuring that we are using the intelligence to its full potential.

“Working with officers from Braintree Council and Brentwood Council is helping our trading standards officers to make better use of resources by carrying out visits on each other’s behalf and incorporating aspects of each other’s work into our own to prevent unnecessary burden to businesses.”

For more information visit braintree.gov.uk or essex.gov.uk