Underage drinkers attempting to buy alcohol could soon be thwarted by cutting edge technology currently used by police to identify suspected criminals.

A supermarket chain is introducing face recognition cameras in a bid to prevent staff mistakenly selling cigarettes and booze to children.

The biometric technology, which helps identify underage customers, is being piloted by Budgens at one of their London branches.

If successful, it could be rolled out across the country to create a giant database of customers.

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The system, which has customers facial images stored on a database, immediately alerts a cashier if it recognises someone who has previously been unable to prove they are 18.

Once aware, staff can carry out the proper checks.

In the future, images of offenders could be pooled with other convenience stores, allowing retailers in an area to instantly know if a customer is under-age.

It is believed to be the first time a British retailer has used the technology to identify underage customers.

But critics say the storage of such sensitive data could infringe customers' civil liberties.

The facial recognition software takes measurements between key points on the face, making a unique template of a person's features.

Budgens have installed three cameras at the pilot branch, one at each till.

They monitor customers as they approach the checkout lanes and relays their image back to a control centre in Worcester.

Customers' scanned facial features are then compared against a database of under-18s who have previously visited the store. Anyone refused alcohol or cigarettes in the past will be automatically flagged up.

The system also identifies customers who have previously verified their age, allowing them to be served more quickly.

To comply with the Data Protection Act, the system stores the information as data or 'tokens' - which cannot be reversed back into images, but can be compared to fresh pictures.

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