Pub industry backs using military ID as proof of age

Fri 09 Jul 2010

Efforts to enable licensed premises to accept military ID as proof of age have been supported by a pub industry body.

The British Beer & Pub Association said it fully supports the campaign which is being run by the People newspaper.

A spokesman for the group told the Morning Advertiser that allowing military ID to be used to prove a person's age when alcohol is being purchased is "just common sense".

The Ministry of Defence has already confirmed that it is looking at ways of encouraging alcohol vendors to recognise military ID as acceptable proof of age.

This follows several reports of licensed premises turning soldiers away because they did not have other forms of identification on their person.

Josh Knee, a 19-year-old soldier who serves in the 40th Regiment Royal Artillery, recently had his military ID rejected at a pub in Hampshire.

Speaking to the Portsmouth News, he said he has spoken to many other people in the army about the issue and found out that "this kind of thing actually happens quite a lot".

Robert Botkai, a partner at Winckworth Sherwood Solicitors, commented: "From 1 October 2010 any ID accepted must have a holographic mark.

"This will cause problems for publicans and cashiers in supermarkets as not all passports have such a mark.

"We are still hoping that the government will amend this new mandatory condition so as to allow any proper form of ID to be acceptable."