THURROCK Trading Standards team is looking for volunteers aged from 14 to 16 years old to assist with its programme of age restricted products test purchasing.

The council uses volunteers to enter businesses and try to buy age restricted products. 

The following products are age restricted and cannot be sold to anyone under the age of 18 years:

• Alcohol

• Vapes

• Cigarettes and tobacco products

• Fireworks

• Offensive weapons or knives

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Underage volunteers work with a team of officers to see what happens when they try to buy age restricted products from shops and off licences across Thurrock.

An officer will visit volunteers and parents/guardians at home to explain about the process, what is expected and discuss safeguarding measures that are in place.  

Parents or guardians will need to give written permission for volunteers to take part.

Young people will not be asked to work in areas where they might be recognised, as safety and wellbeing is a council priority.

When volunteers are needed to take part in an exercise, the standards team will contact them in advance and they will be collected from home by officers on the day of the exercise and asked to enter shops to try to buy an age restricted product.

ID should be requested by the trader, if this happens volunteers would simply say "sorry I don't have any on me" and the sale should be refused. There will be times when the trader sells the product to a volunteer.

If this happens, the volunteers simply pay for it and leave the premises.

The rest will be dealt with by the officers who will speak to the trader. Food and refreshments will be provided, and volunteers will be dropped back off at home once the exercise is complete.

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If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, contact the team via email: [email protected]

To find out more about the work of Trading Standards visit: CTSI - The Chartered Trading Standards Institute, UK