SIXTEEN to nineteen-year-olds across Kent are being urged to take advantage of a “smart” proof-of-age card aimed at curbing the sale of restricted goods to young people.

Kent County Council has teamed up with Kent Police to launch the Connexions card in a bid to combat rogue traders and provide retailers with a quick way to check the age of young people.

The Kent Messenger Group, which owns and runs Kent Online, is a joint sponsor of the project.

The card incorporates a microchip and can be swiped through a special “reader” – which resembles a pocket calculator - which quickly displays the holder’s age in years and months to the retailer.

Trading standards chiefs hope the scheme, which has already been piloted among 200 retailers in and around Canterbury, will help their drive to cut down on under-age sales of alcohol, cigarettes and fireworks.

Although the special card readers normally cost £15, more than 1,600 are being offered to shopkeepers, pubs and nightclubs for free to kick-start the scheme.

The Connexions card, which is distributed through schools, is already used by about 17,000 teenagers in Kent and was originally introduced by the Government as a “reward” points card for those at college and school.

Users are entitled to exchange points for discounts at high-street shops, cinemas and on bus travel or to “buy” work experience opportunities.

Kent County Council has extended the scheme to enable 16-to19-year-olds to use it as a proof of age card.

Speaking at a launch for the initiative (Nov 10) county council leader Sir Sandy Bruce-Lockhart said: “Cutting under-age drinking is immensely important. There are increasing problems of disorderly behaviour and under-age drinking. Some parts of Kent have focused on the night-time economy but alcohol is a real problem and 'binge drinking' is now part of our culture.”

Kent Police Chief Superintendent Trevor Pankhurst said: “It is regrettably a fact that too many young people are allowed easy access to alcohol and other products as a result of reckless and irresponsible traders. Insufficient care can result in a serious threat to the health of young people and cause concern for community safety.”

One of the commonest complaints police dealt with was from people complaining about under-age drinking in the streets, he added.

“For the scheme to be successful, every retailer has to get involved,” he said.

Kent Messenger Group editorial director Simon Irwin said: “This is a scheme in which Kent is leading the way. If it stops just one teenager from getting into problems with alcohol or other substances, it will have been a success. We are delighted to be supporting it.”