Trading standards age-restricted products and services enforcement programme 2026-27

1. Purpose

This enforcement programme sets out how Trading Standards, supported by the Community Alcohol Partnership (CAP), will meet its statutory duties and local priorities in relation to the supply of agerestricted goods and services.

The programme aims to:

• Prevent the supply of agerestricted products to children and young people
• Reduce health, safety and antisocial behaviour harms associated with underage access
• Support compliant businesses through advice, guidance, training and Challenge 25 activity
• Reduce demand through the delivery of schoolbased education within the PSHE curriculum
• Take proportionate enforcement action where noncompliance is identified

This programme is considered and reviewed annually, in accordance with legislative requirements

2. Legislative Framework and Statutory Duties

Trading Standards enforces legislation prohibiting the supply of age-restricted goods and services. These are governed by a range of Acts and Regulations, depending on the product or service, including:

• Cigarettes
• Nicotine inhaling products
• Alcohol
• Fireworks
• Lottery tickets
• Spray paints
• Computer games

Responsible Authority Role

The Council, as the local weights and measures authority, is a Responsible Authority under the Licensing Act 2003.

In this capacity, Trading Standards may:

• Make representations on premises licence applications
• Apply for reviews of premises licences

This role primarily relates to the licensing objective of protecting children from harm, but may also extend to the other three statutory licensing objectives where criminality is identified.

Statutory Duties 

The Council is required to consider a programme of enforcement action at least once every 12 months in relation to the following products:

Tobacco, cigarettes and nicotine vaping products
Children and Young Persons (Protection from Tobacco) Act 1991

Aerosol spray paints
Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005

3. Contribution to Reading Borough Council Priorities

This programme supports the Council’s priorities to:

• Promote more equal communities in Reading
• Safeguard and support the health and wellbeing of Reading’s adults and children

Trading Standards Service priorities:

• Support sustainable economic growth by providing the best advice to businesses to ensure they trade fairly and safely.
• Contributing to Public Health and Wellbeing
• Identify and tackle problem traders.
• Identify and tackle illegal tobacco and vape retailers
• Protect vulnerable consumers to help safeguard their independence, health and well-being.

By reducing underage access to alcohol, tobacco, vapes and other agerestricted products, Trading Standards helps to reduce health harms and antisocial behaviour

4. Review of Activity 2025–26

4.1. Provided advice to businesses

The Service continued to support businesses through advice, guidance and training to promote compliance with age restriction legislation.

This included:

• Delivery of free monthly online training by the CAP Officer 
• Business visits to provide tailored advice and resources
• Ongoing promotion of the Challenge 25 scheme

These activities supported improved awareness and strengthened age verification practices. 

4.2. Use intelligence-led test purchasing

Test purchasing activities were carried out throughout the year, focusing on alcohol, tobacco and vaping products.

Operations were intelligence-led and authorised in accordance with RIPA requirements.

Results indicated improving compliance, particularly in relation to age verification, although activity remains targeted at higher-risk premises. 

No complaints or intelligence were received in relation to the sale of spray paints during the year. Activity in this area was therefore undertaken on a reactive basis where required.

4.3. Worked closely with partners

The Service maintained strong partnership working with:

• Thames Valley Police
• Licensing and Community Safety Teams
• Public Health and schools
• Regional Trading Standards networks

These partnerships supported intelligence sharing and enabled coordinated enforcement activity. 

4.4. Reduced demand and support education

Work to reduce demand among young people included:

• Delivery of school-based education through the PSHE curriculum
• Delivered awareness sessions to approximately 2,000 students
• Implementation of Identification and Brief Advice (IBA) interventions

This supported wider Public Health objectives and early intervention

4.5. External funding and targeted enforcement

The Service secured external funding, including participation in HMRC’s Operation CeCe, to support activity targeting illicit tobacco.

This enhanced operational capacity and enabled additional enforcement work. 

5. Programme of Enforcement for 2026-27

5.1 Strategic Framework 

Trading Standards will continue to deliver enforcement through:

• Business advice, support and Challenge 25 promotion
• Intelligence-led test purchasing
• Partnership working
• Education and demand reduction activity
• Proportionate enforcement action in line with the Council’s Enforcement Policy

 Corporate Enforcement Policy

2026 sees the introduction of a new Underage Sales Framework and Audit, which will support early identification of risk, provide a structured and consistent approach to assessing retailer compliance and identifying areas for improvement.

5.2 Key Priorities for 2026–27

Planned Activity:

• Implementation of the Underage Sales Framework and Audit  
• Use the new audit framework to assess retailer compliance
• Target high-risk premises identified through the Audit and Intelligence
• Increase compliance with age-restriction legislation through targeted advice and training
• Deliver school-based prevention work where appropriate. sustaining education delivery and working with them to protect children from harm 
• Conduct intelligence-led test purchasing across priority product areas
• Continue joint work with Police, Licensing and Public Health
• Continued focus on illicit tobacco and vaping products

5.3 Areas of Development / Emerging Issues

• Respond to changes in retail practices (including the Generational Ban)
• Monitor legislative developments relating to vaping and tobacco
• Review effectiveness of the Underage Sales Framework

This programme should be read alongside the 2025–26 review of activity, which provides detail on delivery and outcomes.

Trading Standards relies on intelligence from members of the public, partners, and businesses to identify and address non-compliance relating to age-restricted products.

Information provided helps the Service to target activity effectively and take appropriate enforcement action where necessary.

If you are concerned that a trader is selling alcohol or other age-restricted goods to under-age children, you can report your suspicions via the Citizens Advice Consumer Service:

• Online: via the Citizens Advice website
• Telephone: 0808 223 1133

All information will be treated in confidence.

This programme ensures that enforcement activity is targeted, proportionate, and effective in protecting children and supporting compliant businesses across the borough.