CHILD spies wired with hidden cameras will trap shopkeepers who illegally sell fireworks and alcohol, if council plans get the go-ahead.

Bolton Council has been using teenagers aged 14 and 15 for the last few years to test traders reported to be selling fireworks to under-18s.

Now Trading Standards officers want to make it even tougher for offending shopkeepers by wiring their young spies up with sophisticated remote-control cameras and mobile phones.

At the moment two trading standards officers go into a shop before the young people, posing as customers to overhear the conversation and, when the teenager walks in, witness any sale. If the child is served, they question the shopkeeper with support from a police officer and legal action can follow with a maximum fine of £5,000.

Principal trading standards officer Darryl Wilson said: "The worry is that traders are becoming suspicious if they see two strangers coming into the shop followed by a child.

"We hope to use hidden cameras by our next round of visits. Officers waiting nearby will be able to watch exactly what is going on by remote camera. We already equip the young person with a mobile phone, which is switched on and connected to us. It means the child will still have total back-up from the team and we can record what is going on in case we need to use it as evidence."

The method could be used to trap off-licence and corner shop owners who sell alcohol to under-age children in areas plagued by anti-social behaviour.

Boys and girls have already been successfully used to uncover shops selling alcohol, and officers are planning to return to those shops to check that they are now sticking to the law.

It is hoped the plan to use hidden cameras, which will be subject to approval by the council and must meet Home Office guidelines, will be introduced next year.