LETHAL WEAPON; EXCLUSIVE Kids can buy this machete for just pounds 1.47 on Amazon.(News)

Byline: By STEVE SMITH

THIS fearsome machete can be bought for less than pounds 1.50 from online store Amazon.

And the deadly 38cm blade can be snapped up by anyone...even children.

The trade makes a nonsense of new laws brought in last month banning the sale of weapons to under-18s.

It exposes shocking loopholes that allowwebsites to keep selling blades without adequate age checks.

Our investigator managed to buy a machete from Amazon for pounds 1.47 without being asked any questions about age.

We also picked up a serrated hunting knife and a crossbow from the Yin Yang Martial Arts site and knives from Debenhams and John Lewis website.

The weapons were bought weeks after the Government banned their sale to anyone under the age of 18.

But neither Amazon nor the martial arts website asked for any proof of the buyer's age.

The policeman leading Scotland's crackdown on knife crime last night admitted forces were struggling to police the internet.

Detective Chief Superintendent John Carnochan, head of Scotland's Violence Reduction Unit, said: "We try to limit access to weapons as much as possible but policing the internet is fraught with difficulties."

The Amazon machete was delivered to a Scottish address the day after we ordered it.

The online firm - better known for selling books and DVDs - said: "We state clearly in our terms and conditions that our site is for over-18s.

"We also clearly message that this product is not for sale to anyone under the age of 18.

That message, due to an oversight on our part, was missing and we apologise for that."

We bought a razor-sharp 10cm blade for just pounds 12 from the John Lewis website.

It warned that knives could not be sold to anyone under 18.

Yet all they demanded was the buyer enter their date of birth. We used false details and the knife was posted out.

Debenhams sent out an pounds 8 knife - again with no age checks.

Their website simply warns: "It is an offence to sell this item to anyone under the age of 18. Only add this item to basket if you are over 18."

Yin Yang Martial Arts - who sold us a knife and crossbow - warn on their site: "No weapons will be sold to persons under the age of 18 or to anyone not able to supply a M.A.C. licence or a registered club card."

We were asked for neither and the weapons arrived within days.

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mailfile Violent Scotland

Scotland's streets have never been more dangerous with violent attacks rocketing. Assaults and muggings have shot up by more than a third.

A three-week campaign to rid Scotland's streets of lethal weapons was launched by police earlier this month.

Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill last month announced the Scottish Government were spending an extra pounds 1million to make town and city centres across the country safer.

Proposals for the extra cash include employing late-night marshals to oversee taxi queues and more high-visibility policing.

Officers are carrying out stop-andsearch operations all over the country using airport-style hand-held metal detectors to spot hidden blades.

During a three-week crackdown this year more than 1700 knives were handed in to police and 239 seized during stop-searches.

CAPTION(S):

Horrifying: pounds 1.47 machete can be bought by kids 38cm (14.96inches); Deadly haul: The cache of weapons we bought on the net