Under-16s are banned from buying 'dangerous' crackers

Mother-of-three Natasha Burt, of Stillington, Teesside, was asked to verify her age by a shop assistant at the branch of Marks and Spencer at Monks Cross, York.

The 32-year-old said: "I was putting my shopping through when the till started beeping and the gentleman on the checkout asked me for some ID.

"I gave him my driving licence then realised I had not bought any alcohol and asked why he needed it. He said he needed to verify my age before allowing me to take the crackers.

"I just started laughing as it seemed so silly and ridiculous and I asked him why he needed to check how old I was. He said because they deem crackers dangerous objects as they contain gunpowder.

"It is stupid. Who is going to go through crackers to get the gunpowder or use them to cause harm?"

A Marks and Spencer spokeswoman said it had been the company's policy not to sell crackers to under-16s since 1997.

She said: "We have signs up in all of our stores saying under The Fireworks (Safety) Regulations 1997 Act, it is an offence to sell crackers to anyone under the age of 16.

"It is law and we have applied this in all our stores since that time."

The legislation sets 18 as the minimum age to buy most fireworks. But caps, crackers and party poppers can be supplied to those over 16.

Both Marks and Spencer and Morrisons enforce the ban.

A spokesman for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents said: "We have never heard of anybody being injured by a Christmas cracker."

A spokeswoman for the Department of Trade and Industry said: "Everything that has gunpowder in it has to be regulated. Crackers have a minimal amount and are listed as category one.

"It does seem crazy, but as we are regulating the use of gunpowder, it has to be included.

"No one has been arrested for being under 16 with Christmas crackers.

"But things like crackers and party poppers might cause damage if let off in someone's eye because of the explosive in them."