Parents stunned by little known Christmas cracker law - that could leave you with a hefty fine

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Parents have been left stunned after discovering that Christmas crackers are subject to the same age restriction laws as alcohol, cigarettes, and scratch cards.For millions of kids across Scotland, pulling crackers over Christmas dinner is a much-loved tradition.

But sending your child to pick up the festive toy could see them return home empty handed - or with a hefty fine.A little-known law dictates that children under the age of 12 cannot buy a packet of Christmas crackers because they are classed as a category 1 firework - the Pyrotechnic Articles (Safety) Regulations 2015.If a retailer is caught ignoring this law and selling crackers to underage children, they face a fixed penalty fine of £80.

This sum rockets for ongoing offences, with repeated sales leading to fines of up to £5,000 and shop owners facing a staggering £20,000 charge for repeated breaches.

Although there are only age restrictions on selling Christmas crackers rather than using them, supervision is still strongly advised.