A campaign has been launched to remind teenagers to prove their age when buying cigarettes and alcohol.

Shops across Sussex are adopting the "No ID - No Sale" policy and urging people to apply for Citizen-Cards, a nationally recognised form of identification.

Teenagers throughout East Worthing and Shoreham have been applying for the cards but campaigners want more to join the scheme.

The aim is to prevent illegal sale of tobacco, alcohol, Lottery tickets, solvents and other age-restricted goods to under-age teenagers. The legal age to buy alcohol, solvents and fireworks is 18, while for tobacco and Lottery tickets it is 16.

Indravadan Patel, manager of Sompting News, near Lancing, has welcomed the policy and says his staff often suffer abuse when refusing a sale.

He said: "We often get youngsters trying to buy alcohol or cigarettes. It is very difficult to tell their real age so we have to ask for ID. Unfortunately, customers without ID often become abusive so to prevent this, we hand out a CitizenCard application form and tell them to get a card."

East Worthing and Shoreham MP Tim Loughton is calling on other shops around the county to add their support to the campaign.

He said: "It is important the laws on alcohol and tobacco are upheld and there are stiff fines for shops that are caught selling to children.

"However, I understand how difficult a 'No ID - No Sale' policy can be to implement and I welcome the opportunity for all youngsters to get a CitizenCard. This will make their lives easier and in turn, will help shop staff to stay within the law."

The MP is writing to all 18-year-olds joining the local electoral register and enclosing an application form.

Tim Hirst, CitizenCard's marketing manager, said: "In the East Worthing and Shoreham area we already have more than 1,000 cardholders.

"We live in a world where you need to prove who you are or how old you are. We are distributing application forms to as many shops as we can but the public can also phone us for a form or they can apply online."

For more details call 0870 240 1221 or visit www.citizencard.com