The latest ban is to stop children from buying Christmas crackers. Why? It is because they contain gunpowder.
Natasha Burt, a mother of three went into her local branch of Marks and Spencer to buy a box of crackers and was asked to prove her age by the sales assistant.
Ms Burt, 32 from Teeside said, "I was putting my shopping through when the till started beeping and the gentleman on the checkout asked me for some ID.
"I gave him my driving licence and asked why he needed it. He said he needed to verify my age before allowing me to take the crackers.
"I just started laughing as it seemed so silly and ridiculous.
"He said because they deem crackers dangerous objects as they contain gunpowder.
"It is stupid. Who is going to go through crackers to get the gunpowder or use them to cause harm?"
A Marks and Spencer’s spokeswoman acknowledged a sales assistant in their York store acted in accordance with the company’s policy. The policy is not to sell crackers to anyone who is under 16, and that it had been in place since 1997.
She said, "We have signs up in all of our stores saying that, under The Fireworks (Safety) Regulations 1997, it is an offence to sell crackers to anyone under the age of 16.
"It is law and we have applied this in all our stores since that time."
According to the legislation, 18 years is the minimum age to buy fireworks. However caps, crackers and party poppers can be sold to anyone over 16 years.
Another store, Morrisons also enforce the ban whereas other stores have a more relaxed approach.
A spokesman for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents said, "We have never heard of anybody being injured by a Christmas cracker."
A spokeswoman for the Department of Trade and Industry said, "Everything that has gunpowder in it has to be regulated.
"Crackers have a minimal amount and are listed as category one.
"It does seem crazy but, as we are regulating the use of gunpowder, it has to be included.
"No one has been arrested for being under 16 with Christmas crackers but things like crackers and party poppers might cause damage if let off in someone’s eye because of the explosive in them."
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