SHOPKEEPERS have welcomed a ban on children buying eggs and flour in the run-up to Halloween.

Part of a council clampdown on anti-social behaviour, children under 16 will not be able to buy eggs or flour and older teenagers will have masks confiscated if they misbehave.

Ali Polat, who works in Costcutter in Leytonstone High Road, said: “If I say I'm not selling it to them, there's nothing else they can do.

“We will be asking for ID if they look young enough.”

Police have visited shops in Waltham Forest, telling staff of the clampdown, and have asked them to put up posters to inform customers of the restrictions on eggs and flour.

And Arif Shah, who works in Low-Cost Supermarket, also in Leytonstone High Road, said the shop will stop selling eggs altogether over Halloween.

He said: “I think it's a brilliant idea. We're going to stop serving anybody for eggs. We know our regular customers, so we'll just tell them to go to Tesco.

“It's not a big deal as we only make 10p on eggs.”

He added the decision to stop selling eggs was made after the shop was vandalised last year.

Mr Shah said: “We got pelted. There were about 10 kids chucking eggs and it was stinking for days and days.”

Wendy Patel, who works in Subway Food and Wine in Church Lane, Leytonstone, also welcomed the decision.

She said: “I do think it's a good idea – it stops kids messing around, making a mess, making noise.

“They throw eggs and flour at each other and at people passing by as well.”

The clampdown will also allow residents to put up posters saying 'No trick or treat here' and council mobile CCTV vans will patrol areas known to be worst affected around October 31.

Police will offer primary school children advice on safe trick-or-treating and the council hopes to improve on a 43 per cent decrease in reports of anti-social behaviour on Halloween.