TWO shop owners in Colne were each given a six month conditional discharge after an undercover Trading Standards operation revealed they had sold cigarettes to children under the age of 16.

Lancashire Trading Standards carried out the investigations in February after complaints that tobacco was being sold to under age children in the Colne area.

A 14-year-old boy was sent into the shops, where a trading standards officer was posing as a customer.

On both occasions the boy was sold a packet of ten Silk Cut cigarettes.

Joe Clarkson, owner of Crown News in Albert Road, admitted that on February 20 he took the payment for the cigarettes without checking the boy's age.

Stewart Sutton, defending, said Mr Clarkson had sold the cigarettes but did not recall the actual incident.

He said the boy was 5ft 7ins tall and although a test purchase could not be carried out by someone under the age of 14 years, Trading Standards officers were bordering on a breach of Home Office guidelines as the boy was only three months over 14.

Mr Clarkson was told by magistrates at Reedley Court that he would be conditionally discharged and was ordered to pay £182 costs.

The second test purchase was at SK General Store, in Burnley Road, owned by Shabnam Khan.

The same teenager was again sold cigarettes on February 20, this time by Mrs Khan.

Again on this occasion the boy was allowed to make the purchase without being asked for proof of his age.

Mrs Khan defended herself in court and said she was very sorry.

She admitted she had made a mistake because she had a few things on her mind. She was also given a conditional discharge and told to pay £170 costs.

Trading standards officers are conducting ongoing inquiries in East Lancashire to deal with incidents of tobacco being sold to under age children.