Thirteen knives were sold to the two children in Slough

The sales in Slough, Berkshire, were made during the UK knife amnesty and left consumer watchdogs "appalled".

Slough Borough Council is now looking to prosecute the shops that sold knives to the 12-year-old and 13-year-old volunteers on Thursday.

They were also able to buy a bread knife, another carving knife and a 10-piece knife set.

The youngsters targeted 14 shops across the borough, of which four could face prosecution and a fined of up to �5,000.

Dean Cooke, from the council's trading standards department, said: "Shopkeepers have a responsibility to ensure knives do not get into the wrong hands and in the current climate it is vitally important they stick to the right side of the law.

"We are appalled that after all the work we have done to make shopkeepers aware of the law and with all the recent publicity that has been given to knife crime, some traders still think it is acceptable to sell knives to children."

The Offensive Weapons Act of 1996 outlaws the sale of knives and other bladed items to under-16s.