Civic leaders have condemned a designer clothing store after it was found to be selling a coat with a built-in knife.

Police visited TK Maxx Farnborough Gate Retail Park on Thursday last week after reports that the shop was selling a £59 coat with a two-and-a-half inch folding penknife attached on a chain.

Cllr Peter Moyle, leader of Tory-run Rushmoor Borough Council, said he ordered council officers to the store on Friday to check that the line of coats had been withdrawn from sale.

He added he would be writing to TK Maxx’s chief executive, seeking assurances that the store would not sell similar items in the future, and was talking to trading standards officers to make a strongly-worded complaint to the company.

Cllr Moyle added that he had spoken to Hampshire Constabulary and would ask it to prosecute any offenders if any laws had been broken.
 
“When I heard about this I thought the lunatics had taken over the asylum,” Cllr Moyle said.

“I can’t believe that the company hasn’t heard the national outcry on knives. To sell knives as an apparent fashion accessory sends out completely the wrong message.”

Cllr Moyle denied that the outcry against the store was an over-reaction.

“We are trying to encourage kids not to carry knives — I don’t think that is a moral panic,” he said.
Cllr Sue Gadsby, leader of the council’s Liberal Democrat group, said that people should boycott the store.

“If a lot of people chose not to shop there it might have an impact,” she said. “Power to the people.

“We need more community accountability because the council has a responsibility, but the community does as well.”

Cllr Keith Dibble, leader of the Labour Party in Rushmoor, said it was right to bring the issue to the attention of the public, but it was important to maintain a sense of proportion.

“It is a matter of keeping things in context,” Cllr Dibble said.

“It is right for it to be brought up as a potential issue, but it would be wrong to assume that anyone who has a penknife wants to use it as a weapon.”

The visits to the store were prompted after a man from Farnborough saw one of the coats while shopping at the store. The incident was reported widely across the country.

Steve Gale, 36, told a national newspaper: “It’s scandalous, with all the attacks involving knives, that a big national store is selling them as part of clothing.

“I pulled the chain and out came this knife. I couldn’t believe it. It was actually part of the coat. Imagine how you would feel if you bought that for your kid.

“I was on my way to football and needed a coat — but if I had bought this I would have been nicked trying to get in. I asked an assistant if it was acceptable and she said it was probably a camping coat.”

Mr Gale, who works for a carpet cleaning company, added: “What has it come to when clothes become weapons? It’s just encouraging kids to go out with a knife.”

A spokesman for Hampshire Constabulary said an officer went to the store last Thursday to offer advice.

“The simple message is ‘carrying knives ruins lives.’ Doing so puts yourself and others at risk and is a criminal offence,” the police spokesman said.

Police added they were aware that TK Maxx withdrew the coats from sale in September.

In a statement, the store said: “TK Maxx supports and enforces all laws with regard to the sale of knives. We became aware that a branded coat on sale included a pocket penknife as a promotional gift.

“We removed the items swiftly from the supply chain. All store teams have been alerted to this and as a matter of urgent priority have removed all related items from shops.”