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Retailers slam crackers health and safety rule
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's retailers are being forced to demand age-identification from shoppers seeking to buy Christmas crackers because of new health and safety legislation they have branded "daft."
Under the pyrotechnic articles (safety) regulations of August 2010, Christmas crackers have been classed as "category 1" fireworks, which means they have an age restriction of 16 and cashiers have to check the age of people buying them.
The majority of Britain's stores use a "challenge 25" policy for selling age-related products such as alcohol, tobacco and fireworks, meaning people who look under 25 are asked to prove they are old enough to buy.
"Busy shoppers with a lot on their minds will be understandably frustrated if they are asked to provide ID to buy a box of Christmas crackers," the British Retail Consortium (BRC) said in Wednesday.
Under the legislation, stores face financial penalties and individual cashiers fines of up to 5,000 pounds ($7,848) and six months in prison for selling crackers to underage customers.
"It's the health and safety rules which have gone crackers and not retailers themselves," the BRC said.
(Reporting by Mark Potter, editing by Paul Casciato)
