Three premises in East Lancashire have failed a police 'test purchase' exercise after selling knives, alcohol and cigarettes to underage kids.

On Saturday, police in Burnley, along with some of the police cadets carried out several test purchases at off-licences and stores in the town as part of a campaign aiming to tackle knife crime.

While the majority of the places visited refused to sell alcohol, cigarettes and knives to the youngsters, officers reported that three premises failed and have been issued with the appropriate warnings.

A spokesperson for the police said on Saturday: "This afternoon Burnley neighbourhood policing team along with our cadets have carried out a number of test purchases as part of a week of action against knife crime. 

"We are pleased to report that most premises visited passed and refused to sell knives, alcohol and cigarettes to our cadets but three premises failed and have been dealt with.

"If you want to know about things going on in your area or issues across Burnley please sign up to Lancashire Talking."

Police have not said which shops were involved.