AN axe and three knives were sold to a 14-year-old at a car boot sale.

An undercover sting by Trading Standards officers resulted in the teenager being sold an eight-inch filleting knife, a six-inch kitchen blade, a Stanley knife and an axe.

But the four traders at the unnamed West Sussex car boot sale have been let off with just a letter of warning.

Worthing Watch Neighbourhood Co-ordinator and county councillor Bob Smytherman said: “These people need to be named and shamed.

“With Halloween coming up don’t want young people thinking they can terrorize old people and knowing exactly where they can get a knife to do that.

“I’m all for operations to crack down on knives being sold to young people, but it needs to be backed up by strong action against those who sell them.”

But anti-knife campaigner Lyn Costello, from Mothers Against Murder and Aggression, said it was the use of knives not the sourcing that needed to be tackled.

She said: “If a child wants a knife they will find one with or without a car boot sale. If they want an axe there’s probably one in their dad’s shed.

“We need to concentrate on making sure those people who use knives to commit crimes know they will be punished.”

Pete Bradbury, county council cabinet member for public protection, said that working with car boot sales was the best way to eradicate the problem.

He said: “This small snapshot paints a worrying picture on the availability of knives to children at car boot sales.

“With a 100% failure of sellers to act within the law, we are now contacting the organisers of the major car boot sales in West Sussex urging them to adopt and enforce a ‘No Knives’ policy for their sellers.

“So far the response has been encouraging with seven car boot sales agreeing to a full knife ban. Two others already have such a ban and are working with us to improve its effectiveness.”