Businesses have allegedly been caught selling knives to children during checks in two Wiltshire towns.

Officers from Wiltshire Police, including PC Cannings and PC Robbins, have been supporting an operation to conduct checks on businesses in Trowbridge and Melksham.

This comes as part of Operation Sceptre, a knife crime awareness campaign taking place this week.

Police Cadets, with the support of officers from local neighbourhood teams, have been visiting shops in the towns to try and purchase knives.

The aim of this operation was to see if outlets would check the IDs of customers who did not look old enough to legally buy the items.

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Police confirmed that multiple stores sold knives to the children, even after checking their ID.

It has not been confirmed which stores were caught doing this or if they faced any further action.

A force spokesperson said: “Most shops in the area complied with the law and shop staff asked to see ID and then refused the sale.

“However, on more than one occasion knives were sold to children with some shops asking for identification, checking the date of birth but then still selling a knife.

“Sceptre is about the education around knives and their use as well as the wider awareness of knife crime.”