The Heart of England Co-operative Society has extended its proof of identity scheme to include under 25s attempting to buy cigarettes or alcohol from all its stores in Coventry, Warwickshire and south Leicestershire as the Society lends its weight to a national campaign to curb binge drinking and smoking among under-age teenagers.

Previously, the scheme affected anyone who appeared under the age of 21. From now any customer who appears under the age of 25 will be asked to prove their date of birth.

Those who can prove they are at least 18 – the legal minimum age to buy cigarettes and tobacco – will be allowed to continue their purchase. Those who are unable to prove their age will be turned away.

George Flower, General Manager - Food Division, said the Society introduced the new restrictions following repeated attempts by underage teenagers to convince staff they were 21.

Mr Flower said: “These days it can be very difficult to tell whether you are serving cigarettes or alcohol to an 18-year-old or a 16-year-old.

“So we have introduced these measures not only because we have a moral and social responsibility to our members and customers, but also because we have a responsibility to safeguard our staff.

“By raising the benchmark to 25 we hope it will eliminate all risk of sales to minors as while someone who is around 17 could pass for 21, there is very little hope of them convincing a member of our staff they are 25. We are sure our customers will understand we are trying to act responsibly.”

He added: “There is a problem nationally with teenagers making themselves look older in a bid to obtain cigarettes or alcohol and I would like to think other retailers would follow our lead on the issue.”