Zombie knives and machetes are still available to buy online

Zombie knives remain available online for less than £20 over a month after they were banned. 

Journalists were able to buy four knives from retailers with websites in the UK, two of which shipped the deadly weapons from overseas. 

Police chiefs responded to the shocking finding but suggesting the law might need to be toughened in the future, as the Home Office vowed a 'rapid review' of the selling of knives online. 

The ban on zombie knives and machetes came into place in England and Wales on September 24, making it an imprisonable offence to possess, sell, manufacture or transport them. 

The terrifying blades, which boast chilling names including First Blood, Fantasy Hunting Knife and Predator, can be more than 18in long – and have become the weapon of choice for gang murders and stabbings.

BBC News placed orders for zombie knives through four online retailers. It said one retailer cancelled the order but three accepted - with couriers delivering the weapons just days later without the need for a signature.  

Hunting&Knives sold two serrated machetes with 18-inch blades, one costing £19.99 and the other £30.83.

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HuntingCrossbows sold the reporters a £34.99 'Defender Xtreme Hunting Combat knife' with a 10-inch blade and a serrated edge, which appeared to have been shipped from the UK. 

Meanwhile, a third retailer, NineFit, sold a £60 'Fantasy Master Skull Crusher' sword with a 20-inch blade. 

Zombie-style knives are defined in law as having a blade over eight inches with a sharp point and a plain cutting edge, plus either a serrated edge, more than one hole in the blade, spikes, or more than two sharp points. 

Four out of five experts consulted by the BBC agreed that the weapons they purchased met the legal definition of a banned knife.

'They all look like offensive weapons under the Act,' said Anthony Orchard KC, a criminal barrister with substantial experience prosecuting knife offences. 

Commander Stephen Clayman, the NPCC's lead for knife crime, said: 'This ban will have an impact, how much of an impact is difficult to say but we do know some of the large UK retailers will no longer be selling these knives and that's got to be a good thing.

'Is it enough? Time will tell. Will we have to change the law again, quite possibly.

MailOnline has contacted NineFit UK and Hunting&Knives for comment. HuntingCrossbows could not be contacted. 

Hunting&Knives told the BBC it had been reviewing and removing 'articles that did not comply with the new law', adding: 'It is not our intention to make prohibited articles available to the end customer.'

HuntingCrossbows claimed that its weapons 'are cosplay or display knives for decoration use only'.

The Home Office said: 'When we receive information like this, it is very important Border Force can investigate potential illegal activity.'

A spokesman said the department had 'launched a rapid review into the online sale of knives' and said social media executives would be held liable for advertising knives on their platforms. 

Over recent years zombie knives have become the weapon of choice for gangs, prompting a police crackdown. 

On Tuesday this week, officers from the Met raided a home in Hornsey, north London and arrested two men on suspicion of selling the knives online.

The Met have since shared body cam footage of the early morning raid, which showed officers in body armour smashing down the door of the property and ambushing the suspected knife seller.

Officers could then be seen swiftly restraining and handcuffing the pair before bungling them into a police van.

The officer in charge of the raid, which was part of Operation Sceptre, explained how his team executed the arrests.

He said: 'People who are committing the knife point robberies and sadly the murders, they're not buying their weapons in Sainsbury's, they're buying them in what's known as a grey market on Snapchat, on Telegram. 

'Within the last couple of hours my team executed a warrant and we entered the property and we were able to arrest our primary suspect

'In addition while in the property we identified further evidence which implicated his brother as well and his brother was also arrested.

'The property was searched and we seized a quantity of controlled Class B drugs and controlled pharmaceuticals such as prescription-only anti-depressants and a number of offensive weapons were also recovered.' 

Yesterday, the Old Bailey heard how a murderer had ordered 500 blades from an online shop under the false pretence that he was building an anti-knife crime sculpture.

Leo Reid, 21, told the lie to the owners of DNA Leisure over email when they enquired about his repeat orders, which included so-called zombie knives.

Reid, who was part of a gang that shot 17-year-old musician Tyler McDermott and stabbed him with a machete on April 13 last year, has still not told the police what he did with the blades.

He was jailed yesterday for a minimum of 22 years for his part in the brutal killing.

His role in the murder was to use a machete to hack at Mr McDermott as he lay prone, bleeding from a gunshot wound to his head outside a party in Tottenham, north London.

Jurors heard how DNA Leisure in Great Marlings, Luton, Bedfordshire, is a company that sells sports goods, fishing gear and other items. They also sell a range of knives. Reid had an account with the store.

They were told: ‘On October 21, 2022, October 31, 2022, and November 12, 2022, he placed orders with DNA Leisure that included a total of eight Golan Red Anodized Stainless Steel Roman Swords.’

But what the jury did not hear was that Reid’s entire catalogue of weapons extended into the hundreds including zombie knives, long blades specifically designed to instil fear into victims.

Sources have confirmed that Reid ordered between 400 and 500 knives from the shop and received them, before possibly selling them on.

DNA Leisure, which is to wind down its online store, was approached for comment.