THE victim of a vicious knife attack in Wycome has welcomed the move by Asda to clamp-down on the sales of knives to young people.

Anyone under 18 will now no longer be able to buy knives at the Cressex superstore. The sale of fags to under 18's has also been banned.

Steven Goddard, 28, was a victim of knife crime just metres from his High Wycombe home in 2004.

The marketing programmer was stabbed in the back, neck and head in the unprovoked attack, which happened close to the railway station in Totteridge Road.

He said: "I think it is a good idea to raise the age limit." He had previously questioned why anyone would want to buy a knife - unless they were a butcher.

Asda's 308 shops - including the Holmers Farm Way outlet - have now signed up to the Challenge 21 scheme, where customers who look younger than 21 will be asked for ID when buying blades or cigarettes.

They already have to produce ID when buying fireworks, booze, and 18-rated DVDs and video games.

This latest crackdown has also been welcomed by local watchdogs. Nick Heirons at Bucks County Council Trading Standards said the move is likely to become law.

"We are all for raising the age, we fully support it. Bringing all the age restricted-products in line makes life easier for us, it makes life easier for traders.

"It looks like this might become legislation in the future," he said.

The move comes as the Government is trying to crack down on teenage smoking. At the same time The Violent Crime Reduction Bill is going through the House of Lords - which wants to make the voluntary ban into law.

Andy Clarke, Asda's retail director, said: "Public opinion is changing in these areas and as a responsible retailer we felt we should do something.

"By raising the age limit to 18 for the sale of cigarettes and knives, not only are we helping discourage teenage smoking, but also helping our colleagues who sometimes find it hard to judge how old customers are."

l More than 700 knives were handed into police and destroyed during the recent amnesty in Buckinghamshire.

Across the Thames Valley Police patch 4326 weapons were surrended.

The campaign was an opportunity for people to dispose of weapons without fear of being prosecuted.