It is easier for children to buy knives than it is to purchase paracetamol a police review has concluded.

The damning assessment came as the government launched a crackdown on the sale of bladed weapons to under-18s as part of a series of new anti-knife measures.

Tougher prison sentences will be introduced for selling knives to under-18s and retailers will be obliged to report suspicious or bulk purchases of knives that could then be sold on via social media.

Collectively the new measures will be known as Ronan’s Law, in memory of 16-year-old Ronan Kanda who was stabbed to death in Wolverhampton in 2022 in a case of mistaken identity.

His mother Pooja Kanda told Sky News: “What a legacy to have in my son’s name.

“Ronan will live on, he will live on making the difference that the laws exist, that’s a legacy.”

On the morning of the attack, his teenage killers had picked up their online delivery of a machete and a ninja sword.

Ms Kanda continued: “The murderer of my son just was getting these type of weapons and selling (on social media)

“How scary is that?

“He was able to get them freely on his mother’s ID and mother’s bank account and then he was selling it for more profit to other children.”

Metropolitan Police Commander Stephen Clayman, who is the national lead for knife crime, said it is sometimes harder to buy paracetamol than it is to buy a knife.

Mr Clayman said: “The age verification is a huge vulnerability, both in terms of at point of sale and at delivery.

“We know that through the tragic stories we hear and have heard, but it continues that there are huge flaws that need to be addressed.”

“Bizarrely, it is harder to buy paracetamol in some respects than it is to buy a knife. And that can’t be right,” he said.

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Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “Everyone has to take responsibility.

“We cannot continue with this online free for all. That makes it too easy with these lethal loopholes of selling knives and dangerous weapons to children.

“It has to be closed. And that’s why we need everyone to act.”

Ronan’s mother backed the government’s strategy but said far more needs to be done across society.

She vowed to hold politicians to their promises and continue fighting on behalf of her son for the rest of her life.

“My last breath is dedicated to Ronan, I will continue to fight for my son and to make sure that what has gone wrong is corrected.

“I will die doing that for my son.”

The government is backing a new study to track the long-term effects of vaping on young people – and launching an anti-vaping campaign aimed at teenagers.

The study will track 100,000 young people over 10 years.

It will monitor them from the age of eight up to 18, collecting health data and tracking their wellbeing and other behaviours.

The long-term effects of vaping are not fully known. It’s hoped the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)-funded study will provide the most detailed information yet on its long-term impacts on young people, officials said.

Two other new studies will capture the latest data in vaping research.

Public health minister Ashley Dalton said: “We know that vaping can be a useful tool to quit smoking, but it’s crucial we have clear evidence on the long-term health harms, especially for young people.

“This landmark series of studies, combined with our first nationwide youth vaping campaign, will help drive evidence-based, decisive action to protect our children’s future.”

The YouTube and Instagram campaign – called Love Your Lungs – will see influencers such as Big Manny appeal to teenagers aged 13 to 18.

It is the first nationwide campaign across England to inform young people about vaping and nicotine addiction, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said.

The department has also commissioned a video which shows a woman in a toxic relationship, but it transpires her ‘partner’ is her vape.

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Sarah Sleet, chief executive at Asthma and Lung UK, said: “The number of non-smokers, particularly young people, taking up vaping is extremely worrying.

“The long-term impact of vaping on the lungs isn’t yet known, so research into its effect on young people is really important.”

The mum of Alice da Silva Aguiar, one of three young girls killed in an attack on a dance class in Southport, has praised her local community in her first interview since her daughter was murdered.

Warning: Some readers may find details in this article distressing

Portuguese-born Alex Aguiar, mother of Alice, told the Liverpool Echo that Southport now feels like home for her.

She moved to the area in 2010, and said the support of the community since the attack on 29 July last year had been invaluable.

Alice, nine, was killed alongside Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Bebe King, six, at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class by Axel Rudakubana.

Ms Aguiar said: “Everyone has been incredible, people who don’t know us and we’re not from here and we’ve got so much help.

“People have been very kind, wanting to help us, we didn’t expect that. We feel at home and we don’t feel like we have to go back.”

The 34-year-old paid tribute to her daughter in her first media interview since the attack.

She described how Alice loved dancing and had started baby ballet aged just 16 months old.

Alice grew fond of having one of the teachers, Heidi Liddle, as her dance instructor and her mum said she was “fuming” when Ms Liddle went on maternity leave.

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Ms Liddle was one of two adults, along with class instructor Leanne Lucas, present at the dance class during the attack by Rudakubana.

The parents of Bebe and Elsie previously described how they hoped their daughters would be remembered, in an interview on Good Morning Britain.

Rudakubana entered the building and began indiscriminately attacking people.

The 18-year-old was jailed for a minimum of 52 years last month for the murders of the three young girls and attempted murder of eight other children and two adults.