Identity cards are being introduced for all secondary schoolchildren in Eastbourne to combat under-age drinking, smoking and fireworks buying.

The Citizen Card will have to be produced to buy age-restricted products, which include videos.

Cards will be handed out in April next year and have been funded by the Eastbourne Crime Reduction Partnership.

Roger Cohen, principal trading standards officer at East Sussex County Council, said: "It is illegal to sell goods such as alcohol, cigarettes, fireworks and videos to people below specified age limits. Most retailers are responsible yet under-age sales do occur.

"One reason is that it can be difficult to accurately judge the age of young people."

ECRP chairman Neil Fuller said: "We have introduced the Citizen Card to encourage traders to ask young people for proof of age before sales are made."

Businesses across the town have been asked to display a Citizen Card window poster which warns young people they may be asked to show the card before being served.

Citizen Cards are free to young people under 18 and cost £7 for adults.

Anyone can apply and the company claims airlines accept them as ID in place of a passport, with the exception of Ryanair.

Chief Inspector Peter Mills, Eastbourne's district commander, also welcomed the card in the fight against anti-social behaviour by young people.

The move comes after a county-wide crackdown on the sale of alcohol and cigarettes to under-age children, led by trading standards officers.

Trained youngsters were sent into more than 30 off-licences and supermarkets .

More than two-thirds of traders illegally sold products to underage youngsters.