Campaigners trying to ban the sale of lethal Kung Fu death stars to children are determined to fight on despite a rebuff by the Home Office.

The Home Office has said there are no reasons to extend legislation to cover the sale of the martial arts weapons in high street stores. The statement has come as a disappointment to county council trading standards officers who have vowed to take the matter further.

The sale of the death stars and other weapons was exposed by the Watford Observer last month when worried parents complained their children had been sold them at a sports shop in Market Street, Watford. Their complaints were taken up by MPs and safety chiefs at County Hall.

“This Home Office reply is obviously a disappointment. We are looking for control to make sure these weapons do not get into the hands of impressionable youngsters. They may have a legitimate use on martial arts clubs but their sale is of great concern,” said Hertfordshire’s deputy trading standards officer Mr Brian McNally.

[From the Watford Observer of April 19, 1985]

For more stories from the Watford Observer's archive, go to our Nostalgia section by clicking HERE