Tesco sells metal knife to boy, 10, in pumpkin kit

Shay Greaves was served the pumpkin carving set complete with with a metal serrated blade at a Tesco’s store in the city, where no questions were asked about his age.

Natalie Greaves, 34, was horrified to find the sharp tool and contacted staff with her concerns.

She said: “I went berserk when he came home with it. I couldn’t believe that he could pick that sort of thing up as a child - there should have been an age restriction on it.

“If the tool can cut through a pumpkin I’m sure it could cut through skin. Shay bought it with the intention of doing a pumpkin but if he had fallen over with it in his hand or pocket he could have injured himself.

“I was also concerned that if he’d not shown it to me he might have naively taken it into school and then what would have been the outcome? It could have landed him in trouble.”

Ms Greaves looked up the product online and discovered similar kits did carry an over-18 restriction.

However, when she contacted the store on Herries Road, Sheffield, she was told by customer service staff that the cashier had not done anything wrong as the kit Shay bought stated children required adult supervision to use it but not to buy it.

Following the incident, the store has changed its sales policy and now put an age restriction on all its products which include pumpkin carving knives.

Ms Greaves added: “I’d given Shay a little bit of money to go to the shops. He said the set only cost £1 — it would make it easy for other children to pick up at that price.”

A Tesco spokesman said they had taken prompt action.

He added: “We follow a strict Think 25 policy. We were concerned by this incident and acted immediately to ensure all pumpkin

carving knives will trigger an age restriction till prompt.”