Supermarket tells pensioners: Prove you're over 21 if you want to buy drink

Morrisons has ordered the move to avoid heavy fines for selling booze to under-18s.

In the biggest crackdown so far by a major retailer, checkout workers at dozens of stores in "high risk" areas --where under-age drinking is rife - have been told to ask customers of all ages for proof of identity.

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Quizzed: Jack Archer, 87, was asked for proof of his age when buying sherry at Morrisons

And staff have disclosed that if the company is prosecuted for illegal alcohol sales to under-age drinkers, they must personally pay fines of up to £2,000 for each offence.

They will also have to pay on-the-spot penalties of about £80 imposed by trading standards departments and they could face disciplinary action, including dismissal.

The hardline move by Morrisons - which has 375 UK stores - follows huge pressure from the Government and the police to reduce record levels of teenage drinking and alcohol abuse.

Off-licences and supermarkets supply most of the illicit drink bought by youngsters. Some chains have been attacked for selling alcoholic drinks that are cheaper than bottled water.

Hilary Hunter, of Todmorden in West Yorkshire, who is in her 60s, was recently asked her age when she bought a bottle of table wine at Morrisons.

She said: "I was astonished by the question. At first I thought it was a joke, so I decided to respond jokingly and told the checkout lady, 'Yes, I'm just a little over 18.'

"I also asked if she really couldn't tell I was not a teenager any more by looking at me. Then she explained that all Morrisons customers were being asked the same question."

Fellow pensioner Jack Archer - a Second World War veteran - faced a similar inquisition when he tried to buy a bottle of sherry at a Morrisons store in York last year.

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ID: Morrisons' supermarket staff are asking every customer who buys alcohol to prove their age

"I like to think of myself as a youthful 87-year-old but it would be a stretch to pass myself off as a teenager," he said at the time.

"The checkout girl said she had to ask how old I was and I laughed.

"But it then became pretty obvious she wasn't making a joke and actually meant it. She seemed genuinely reluctant to serve me without some written proof but one look at me should have been enough."

Although the legal threshold for buying alcohol from a supermarket or off-licence is 18, many stores regularly ask anyone who looks as though they are under 21 to provide identification.

John Hannett of the shopworkers' union USDAW said: "It sounds quite extreme to ask these questions of older people. It tends to be younger people whose age is not easy to guess.

"I'm a bit surprised because most of the major retailers do train their staff how to deal with these situations.

"Of course, one thing we are not keen on is when people have to pay fines when they are on low incomes."

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith promised last week to step up efforts to combat under-age drinking after the latest figures revealed that most 13-year-olds have drunk alcohol.

A half-term campaign - costing £875,000 - started yesterday.

Over the next two weeks, 175 police divisions across England and Wales will confiscate alcohol from any under-18s caught drinking in public.

Last year, Tesco - the biggest supermarket chain with 2,000 stores - saw four of its outlets have their drinks licences suspended for between one and three months after staff were caught selling alcohol to children.

Tesco said last night that it left age checks to the "discretion" of workers.

A spokesman added: "Asking absolutely everybody their age is probably a bit much. If people look under 21 and, when asked for ID they cannot provide it, we will not sell them alcohol."

A Morrisons spokesman said last night: "We take our responsibility with regard to selling alcohol very seriously.

"We do not wish to cause offence or disrespect to those persons over the age of 21.

"However, if a member of staff sells alcohol to an under-age customer, there is a standard fine for the individual that is set by the authorities, not Morrisons."

Sir Ken Morrison, the supermarket group's chairman, is himself 75. It is not known if staff have ever asked him to prove his age.