AN Acton shop that sold a knife to a teenager in a council sting operation has been fined £2,773.

Acton General Store, on Acton High Street, was fined for selling an 18mm Rollson retractable knife to the 14-year-old in October last year.

The teenager bought the knife for £4.99 from a member of staff who failed to check her age.

Shop owner Kamaljit Khaneja, 43, has claimed the knife was sold by a cashier on his first day of work, who thought the child was over 18.

Mr Khaneja said he trains his staff on age-restricted items on the first day but admitted he did not have a policy of challenging young buyers on their age.

He added: "My staff member thought the knife was a hardware tool not a proper knife, he didn't appreciate he was selling a knife.

"I take the selling of age-restricted items very seriously they are all stocked behind the counter."

The shop owner wrote an email to plead guilty and did not send a representative to Uxbridge Magistrates' Court on July 20, the business was fined in its absence.

Hatoon Zeb, prosecuting for Ealing Council, said: "Trading standards have been educating stores into the laws and requirements of age restricted items.

"The store had received both physical visits by the local authority, and indeed guidance has been sent about the location of knives on display on sale in stores.

"They were encouraged to be clear and improve the control of, and sale of, knives to underage persons, and to allow cashiers to identify what items are age-restricted by positioning them behind the counter or higher up."

Magistrates' bench chair Michelle O'Keefe reduced the fine from £1,800 to £1,200 for the early guilty plea and ordered it to pay a £120 victim surcharge and £1,453 costs.