The Government must strengthen legislation on ID cards to combat underage sales, Andrew Chevis, CEO of ID card scheme CitizenCard, has warned.

Speaking on the 10th anniversary of Citizencard, Chevis said all ID cards with a PASS hologram should be accepted as ID.

Some young people carrying valid ID had been refused entry to licensed premises because door or bar staff had been instructed not to accept cards such as Citizencard, he said, even though Citizencard, which had the PASS hologram, was accepted by retailers.

“Allowing licensees to decide for themselves what cards they can or cannot accept makes a nonsense of attempts by Government, police and trading standards to stamp out underage sales,” he said. “It should become law that all cards carrying the PASS hologram are acceptable ID.”

“I urge local authorities to write into licensing conditions that all cards containing the PASS hologram be accepted and that only these cards be accepted, alongside passports and photo driving licences. Premises unwilling to recognise cards judged valid ID by the Home Office and the police, should not be open for business.”

Since the launch of Citizencard 10 years ago, more than 1.9 million CitizenCards had been issued in the UK, he said.

This week also marked the fifth anniversary of No ID No Sale - where retailers ask customers who look under 21 for ID before selling age-restricted products.