A third of shops still sell knives to children, eight months after it became an imprisonable offence

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One in three shops is selling knives to children - more than eight months after it became an offence carrying a jail term.

The findings, from undercover council operations, will spark huge alarm at a time when teenage knife crime is running out of control.

Ministers changed the law in October last year to make it illegal to sell knives to under-18s, with a maximum penalty of a £5,000 fine or six months in jail.

They hoped that making it harder for youngsters to obtain blades would reduce the number of stabbings.

But the Local Government Association said sting operations by 15-year-old volunteers had revealed widespread flouting of the law. One in every three was sold a knife.

LGA spokesman Hazel Harding said there were ' frightening abuses'.

She added: 'It's vital that retailers do all they can to prevent underage sales. Knives must not become a fashion accessory for young people like mobile phones or MP3 players.'

Shadow Home Secretary David Davis said: 'This demonstrates all too clearly that tough laws are not enough if they are not properly enforced.'