THREE Blackburn shopkeepers were each fined £350 by Blackburn magistrates after admitting selling fireworks to a 14-year-old boy sent in by trading standards officers.

The court heard that the boy had been in to each of the shops, accompanied by a "chaperone" and come out with a box of fireworks.

Madina Patel, of Hereford Road, was fined £350 with £230 costs after entering a guilty plea through her solicitor. Mohammed Aslam, of Granville Road, Blackburn, also entered a guilty plea through his solicitor and was fined £350 with £250 costs. Freda Kalaiwala, of Shear Brow, was fined £350 with £230 costs after she pleaded guilty by letter.

Alan Fairhurst, prosecuting on behalf of Blackburn with Darwen Council, said it was the authority's duty, through the trading standards department, to enforce the law which says fireworks should not be sold to people under 18. Each year a leaflet is circulated to all shops which are licensed to sell fireworks.

Mr Fairhurst said 25 complaints were received relating to 17 shops and each of these shops was visited and the proprietors warned that test purchases would be made. All three shops were visited on the same day when a trading standards employee, acting as chaperone, would enter the shop followed 15 seconds later by the 14-year-old youth. On each occasion the youth was able to buy a box of fireworks.

Debbie Jameson, defending Aslam, said he was not in the shop at the time but accepted full responsibility for what had happened. She said Aslam's nephew had served the boy and Aslam accepted he had made a mistake by letting the boy look after the shop.

Oliver Goldman, for Patel, said she had made a mistake in not asking the boy for some form of identification. "She has brought up children of her own and she is particularly sorry about this tarnish on her reputation" said Mr Goldman. "She had had this shop for over 10 years and has never been in trouble before."

Kalaiwala apologised for the offence. She said it had been a simple misjudgment of the boy's age, rather than a wilful breach of the law. She said she was a mother of four and would be appalled if any of her children were sold fireworks.

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