Shops Act 1950

31 Night employment

(1) A young person who is employed about the business of a shop shall in every period of twenty-four hours between midday on one day and midday on the next day be allowed an interval of at least eleven consecutive hours, which shall include the hours from ten o'clock in the evening until six o'clock in the morning:

Provided that the said interval of eleven consecutive hours need not include the hour between five and six o'clock in the morning in the case of male persons between the ages of sixteen and eighteen years who are employed during that hour in connection with the collection or delivery of milk or bread or newspapers.

(2) As respects male persons between the ages of sixteen and eighteen years whose employment is wholly or mainly in connection with the business of serving meals to customers for consumption on the premises, the interval of at least eleven consecutive hours required by this section need not include any time between ten o'clock in the evening and midnight during which they are wholly employed in connection with that business.

(3) As respects young persons between the ages of sixteen and eighteen employed wholly or mainly in connection with any retail trade or business carried on in a theatre where a performance is taking place which begins before and ends after ten o'clock in the evening, the interval of at least eleven consecutive hours required by this section need not include any time between ten o'clock in the evening and the time at which the performance ends.

(4) In the case of any contravention of the provisions of this section, the occupier of the shop shall be liable to a fine not exceeding ten pounds for every person in respect of whom the contravention occurs.

(5) In this section the expression " shop " includes any wholesale shop and any warehouse occupied for the purposes of his trade by any person carrying on any retail trade or business or by any wholesale dealer or merchant.