With acid attacks on the rise and causing life threatening injuries, it's great to see the big retailers setting an example and banning the sale of corrosive substances to under 18’s.
Will this solve the problem? A fifth of acid attackers identified in 2016-17 were under 18 years old, so this ban should certainly make it less accessible to the masses.
With the likes of B&Q, Tesco, and Waitrose getting on board with the ban, the other big ones will follow suit, however it’s the smaller independents that now need to sign up to really make it difficult to obtain.
With many already signing up for this voluntary scheme, this will hopefully put some pressure on the other independents and small chains to do the same, making it less available and thus decreasing the number of attacks which last year were reported at 500 by Police.
Anything that can be done to bring this number down is surely worth it.
A number of DIY stores and supermarkets have signed up to the ban, which will apply to some corrosive substances, including concentrated acids. The Home Office has already proposed new laws to limit the sale of corrosive substances amid continuing concern over rising numbers of acid attacks.
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