Business information

Test purchasing

Children and teenagers who use and abuse age-restricted products risk the following:

• Long term health problems, serious injury or even death resulting from tobacco, solvent abuse and fireworks
• Being drawn into criminal or anti-social behaviour resulting from alcohol and solvent abuse.
• Educational under-achievement resulting from alcohol and solvent abuse.

How we operate

The only effective way to enforce legislation which outlaws illegal sales of age-restricted products to children is with the help of young people.

Can you help us?

Local youngsters can volunteer to work with Trading Standards Officers by making test purchases of cigarettes, videos and alcohol.

This work is strictly supervised by our staff, with the welfare of the young people taking part as our top priority. Everybody who has taken part in this activity in the past seems to enjoy their time with us.

If you are aged between 14 and 17 and would like to take part in this activity at the weekend, after school or during the holidays then please email Hertfordshire Trading Standards at: tradingstandards@hertscc.gov.uk with 'underage'as the subject.

Remember, you will be accompanied and supervised at all times and we follow strict safety guidelines.