A shopkeeper and a member of staff from a Manchester newsagents have been ordered to pay nearly £1,500 for selling fireworks to underage teenagers.

Rashid Ahmed and Kashif Rashid from Kash News on Constable Street in Gorton were both convicted in their absence of the offence when they failed to turn up at Manchester Magistrates Court on Wednesday November 20.

Ahmed, who worked at the shop, was fined £200 and ordered to pay £100 costs while Rashid, who owned the shop at the time of the offence, was fined £700 and ordered to pay costs of £469.07 - a total of £1,469.07 between them.

The City Council's trading standards service, sent a 15-year-old female volunteer into the premises on October 24 last year.

The girl - who was three years below the legal age for buying fireworks - asked for a packet of Dancing Red Devils Mini Rockets, and Ahmed handed them over without speaking to the girl.

The City Council then called Ahmed and Rashid in for an interview to give their side of the story, but both failed to attend.

Councillor Richard Cowell, Manchester City Council's Executive Member for the Environment, said: "We all know about the dangers that fireworks can pose if they are handled incorrectly, particularly by children.

"Any shop that sells fireworks should certainly be aware of these dangers, and should put their responsibilities to protect youngsters before their desire to make an easy profit."