A MAN from Worcester is so worried about shop security cameras compromising his pin number that he's waging a personal campaign against it.

Retired Roger Huffadine, from Little London, claims CCTV cameras in several Worcester stores could record him as he uses a chip and pin pad - the new way to pay for goods that require entering your personal identification or pin number.

Mr Huffadine claims that when he quizzed managers about whether his pin had been recorded he was rebuffed.

But chip and pin guidelines clearly state that CCTV cameras should not be able to record customers as they key in their number.

And Mr Huffadine was so annoyed by the "brush off," he considered taking his own video camera into stores to test the reaction.

"I can be annoying to people, but it's not going to change anything," he said. He now intends to challenge the practice under the Data Protection Act.

But a spokeswoman for the Information Commissioner, which enforces the Act, said that pins "were unlikely to be regarded as personal data".

She explained that because a person's identity could not be deduced from their pin alone, it was unlikely that the IC would be able to help. "It's a grey area, but you would need to join so many dots together, it's unlikely it would be a data protection issue," she said.

A spokeswoman for Marks & Spencer, one of the companies contacted by Mr Huffadine, said it was standard practice to position cameras over the till because it is regarded as a "vulnerable" area.

"I hope I can put people's minds at rest," said Sue Sadler, "because all our camera operators are specially recruited, and trained not to focus on people's cards."

For any consumers who are still concerned, the National Consumer Council advises shielding the keypad from the view of cameras, and other shoppers, with their other hand.

"If you really are uncomfortable you could ask to sign for goods, because we're still in the transition period," a spokeswoman said. "Don't let anyone bully you into using your pin."