Buying Knives Online

📣 Wantage & Grove NHPT 📣

We’re reminding our community to take extra care when buying items online — especially from overseas sellers. We’re seeing an increase in parcels seized by Border Force because they contained prohibited weapons, including knives that are illegal to own in the UK.
Even if a website is willing to sell an item, it may still be illegal once it arrives here.

When prohibited items are seized, the police force local to the recipient is notified so we can deal with the offence.

⚠️ Knives that are illegal to own in the UK
• Flick knives / switchblades — open automatically
• Butterfly knives — rotating handles
• Zombie style knives — aggressive or threatening designs
• Disguised knives — hidden inside everyday objects
• Push daggers — fist grip blades

These items will be seized, and you will be contacted by authorities.

⚠️ Carrying knives in public
Even with knives that are legal to own at home, carrying a knife in public without a reasonable excuse is an offence. Self defence is not considered a lawful reason.

We’re sharing this to help keep our community informed and safe. A quick check before buying can prevent items being seized and avoid unnecessary consequences.