PAPER knives have been sold to children as young as nine on a school trip.
Pupils from Quedgeley's Beech Green Primary School were able to buy a letter opener shaped like a Tudor dagger on a trip to Sulgrave Manor, at Banbury.
Dad Simon Roberts said his child was one of the pupils who had been able to buy one from the manor's shop.
Another parent took to Facebook and said: "Despite staff being aware of it, they failed to confiscate the knives during the return journey, creating a huge health and safety risk to children.
"Parents are demanding an enquiry as this could have been a disastrous situation that could have been easily avoided and at the very least the return of the money taken from the children."
Sulgrave Manor is a Tudor and Georgian manor house that was built by the first president of the USA, George Washington's British forefathers. The venue describes itself as "family friendly".
Headteacher Chris Stott said: "The pupils went along to take part in a Tudor re-enactment and as part of the day they were able to visit the shop. There were some paper openers on sale which we were not aware of. A small number of children had already purchased them before we found out. We took steps to ensure that they could not be used and posed no threat to the pupils.
"We also stopped any other children from buying them. We have since informed the house who said that the shop worker had not realised and that they would ensure that it could not happen again."
The house's risk assessment, which schools need to look at when planning a trip, makes no reference to the dangers of any products that are sold in the shop. The paper openers are thought to be a recent addition to the shop's inventory.
Simon Snow, general manager at the house, said: "They were put on a high shelf but clearly not high enough. They have now been taken off sale when we have school visits and we will be sending a parcel of goodies to the school as recompense for it."