Ban on the sale of acids to under-18s planned in UK

The sale of corrosive substances to under 18s is to be banned in a bid to crack down on acid attacks, the UK’s home secretary Amber Rudd has announced.

During her speech at the Conservative party conference in Manchester, UK, Rudd said she also wanted to ‘drastically limit’ the sale of sulfuric acid to prevent the manufacture of homemade explosives, and to make carrying acids in public illegal in a similar way to knives.

The number of acid attacks on members of the public has increased, with twice as many attacks reported in London in 2016 – 458 – as the previous year. Victims often suffer severe burns and disfigurement, and have to go through multiple surgeries to limit the damage.

The full list of substances that will be covered by the ban is still being considered, but it will include the most ‘corrosive’ such as sulfuric acid, Rudd said.