Kent County Council’s Trading Standards team is offering free online training to DIY stores, builders’ merchants and garden centres across Kent and the South East to help staff prevent corrosive substances reaching the wrong hands.
Shops selling drain cleaners, bleaches and other corrosive products are being asked to sign up to a free training programme called Acid Aware. Developed by KCC’s Trading Standards team, it covers the law on corrosive sales, how to check a buyer’s age, when to refuse a sale, and how to report concerns — all aimed at stopping these products being used as weapons.
The scheme runs through Trading Standards South East, a partnership of 16 services across the region, and is funded by the Home Office. It sits alongside the Offensive Weapons Act 2019 — which already bans sales of corrosives to under-18s and limits delivery to residential addresses and lockers — but the focus here is education, not enforcement.
Kent Police received 17 reports of assault with a corrosive substance in 2025. That’s down sharply on the previous two years and lower than many other counties. But the council argues even that figure warrants action — and Acid Survivors Trust International recorded nearly 500 attacks involving noxious or corrosive substances or liquids across the UK in 2024, with actual figures potentially higher due to under-reporting.
Richard Palmer, KCC Cabinet Member for Community and Regulatory Services, said: “Acid attacks can have devastating, life-changing consequences for victims, their loved ones and family — the pain and suffering last a lifetime.” Retailers, he said, are “on the frontline” of prevention. Steve Rock, Head of KCC Trading Standards, added: “just one sale could change someone’s life.”
The training is aimed at owners, managers and shop floor staff alike. And while Kent businesses — chiefly DIY stores, builders’ merchants and garden centres — are the immediate target, hundreds of businesses across the wider South East have also been asked to take part.
Key information
- Who should complete the training: owners, managers and staff at any business selling or handling corrosive substances in Kent or the South East
- Cost: free
- Delivered by: Trading Standards South East on behalf of Kent County Council Trading Standards
- Find out more: visit acidaware.co.uk or contact KCC Trading Standards directly
Businesses that complete the Acid Aware training will receive practical guidance and resources to help them meet their legal duties under the Offensive Weapons Act 2019.
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