Ten out of 10 shops sold cigarettes to an underage girl - ignoring new tobacco laws - in an Oxford Mail investigation.

Trading Standards branded the results "shocking" - coming just a month after the legal age to buy tobacco rose from 16 to 18 years old.

Last week, we sent out 16-year-old schoolgirl Jess to 10 newsagents, off-licences and supermarkets to test how strictly the new law was being enforced. In all 10 she was sold a packet of 20 cigarettes and not asked for ID.

Trading Standards officials will now visit all 10 shops to hand out advice but none are likely to face any immediate penalties.

Richard Webb, group manager at Oxfordshire Trading Standards, said: "It is pretty shocking and concerning. Clearly a 16-year-old should not be able to buy cigarettes.

"A lot of shops have introduced a 'Think 21' policy, where anyone who appears under 21 should be asked for identification. So to learn a 16-year-old has bought cigarettes and is not even asked her age is the most shocking thing about this. There is no excuse whatsoever."

Six shops in Marston, Barton, Blackbird Leys, Rose Hill, Wood Farm and Headington were visited on Thursday afternoon between 12pm and 2pm.

None of the shopkeepers asked our 16-year-old, supervised at all times by a reporter, to produce ID.

On Friday four stores in Cowley Road, Iffley Road, Abingdon Road and Summertown were tested between 3pm and 4.30pm and once again she was not questioned once about her age.

When challenged, most of the shops admitted they ran a policy of asking any shopper who looks under 21 to prove their age. But some shops said they now have problems with teenagers who used to be able to buy tobacco before the age limit was increased on October 1.

Manpreet Sanghera, manager of Sanghera Supermarket in Barton, said: "We've had people who are 16 and been buying cigarettes for a few months legally. Then the age went up to 18 and it means they cannot buy any more. They can get quite angry with our staff but we won't sell to them. It is a problem."

Freddie Ahmad, manager of Girdlestone Stores, said: "We've told the teenagers we can't serve them anymore. But they just get their mums to come in and buy their fags or they hang around outside and get older people to buy them. They will always find a way."

Trading Standards visited 11 shops across the county last month but only three served cigarettes to a 15-year-old during test-purchasing Barry Wheatley, chairman of Oxfordshire Federation of Small Businesses, said: "We always encourage members to be fully aware of the realities of new regulations and laws and we are disappointed to hear of this situation."

Sixteen-year-old schoolgirl Jess was shocked at finding she was not challenged by a single shop assistant.

She said: "I don't smoke and have never tried to buy alcohol or cigarettes in shops before. I was really surprised that I was able to buy the cigarettes for this test so easily. No-one asked me for ID in any of the 10 shops we went into.

"This shows that many people may not have adjusted to the new laws that it is illegal to sell cigarettes to anyone under the age of 18. It seems that many shops are still breaking the law and there maybe others still doing it."