FOLLOWING a weekend of fatal stabbings on the streets of the UK, a Kendal supermarket has been praised for raising the minimum age at which people can buy knives.

In line with a new company policy, Morrisons has taken the voluntary step of raising the age that people can buy knives from 16 to 18 as part of its Task 21 scheme, which requires customers who do not appear to be 21 to confirm their age with identification.

The scheme covers the sale of products such as alcohol, fireworks and butane gas.

However, Morrisons has extended the scheme to include all tobacco products, knives and non-cartridge disposable razor blades.

Speaking in light of the four fatal stabbings, which occurred in Greater Manchester and London, over the weekend, Cumbria police crime prevention officer Terry Belshaw said Morrisons was "to be applauded" for taking action.

"You have to be 18 to do things such as vote and buy alcohol so it is an appropriate threshold for buying tobacco and knives. When people get to 18 they have had two more years to mature and cease to be children and step into the world of adulthood, losing that rush of hormones that often leads to disruptive behaviour," said Mr Belshaw.

"Many of the people who were either hurt or involved in the recent spate of fatalities are between 13 and 18. Part of the problem is the easy accessibility of alcohol and knives and while shops should be more responsible when selling these items, so should parents in the home," he added.

Legislation will be introduced in October which will increase the legal age for buying knives and tobacco from 16 to 18.

Raising the age at which people can buy knives is part of the Government's Violent Crime Reduction Bill which gives police and local communities new powers to tackle knife, gun and alcohol-related violence.

Morrisons believes it will also have health benefits for young people.

General manager Greg Matthews said: "We have taken this action voluntarily and in advance of the new legislation as we believe it is the right thing to do. Clear notices have been displayed in store to highlight these changes.

"By bringing the minimum age for the purchase of tobacco in line with alcohol we aim to help discourage teenage smoking."