An overzealous sales assistant will not be making it onto the Christmas list of one little girl this Christmas.
After handing over her Christmas crackers to a cashier at the QD store in Suffolk, 6 year-old Tia-Rose Innes was shaken by the prospect that her mother could soon be stuck behind bars.
The cashier asked Mrs Innes if she realised she had been breaking the law by allowing her daughter to walk around the store with the Deluxe red and silver crackers. Mrs Innes was oblivious that she’d been doing anything wrong and found the whole situation ridiculous.
It was obvious that Tia-Rose wasn't paying for the crackers, nonetheless the cashier insisted that the crackers be handed over by Mrs Innes instead of the girl, adamantly stating that she was under 16 and therefore not allowed to handle explosives.
Mrs Innes was defiant in the face of the scrooge-like shop assistant and assured the party pooper she would be handing the crackers back to her daughter once she had paid for them.
However, a QD Stores spokesman supported his colleague, saying that sales assistants must stringently comply with the Pyrotechnics Articles (Safety) Regulations by not selling crackers to people under 16, as well as being seen not to accept them.
The Pyrotechnic Articles (Safety) Regulations SI 2010/1554 were introduced in 2010 and reinforce laws banning the sale of explosive items.
Anyone breaching these Regulations by selling outdoor fireworks to under 18s, or selling crackers, novelty matches or indoor fireworks to under 16s can face an unlimited fine and up to two years in prison.
