WHATEVER the era, in the process of growing up, teenagers test boundaries to the limit. Don't let anyone try to tell you that their generation was any different, because it wasn't.

That's why it's disappointing when genuine efforts to demonstrate a responsible attitude end up being thrown back in a youngster's face.

Indeed, "disappointing" hardly begins to describe 18-year-old postman Tom Davies's feelings after he was refused entry to a Worcester bar.

The doormen said he looked too young, an irony in an age when most people well over the hill desperately try to roll the years back in front of the mirror before a night out.

Even though he had ample proof of his age in the shape of a Citizen's Card - the scheme devised to ease potential disagreements between venue and customer - it didn't wash.

Neither did his driving licence.

He reckons that was stupid. It's hard to disagree.

While we accept Licensed Victuallers' Association boss Mike Stevens point that premises have to satisfy themselves of a person's age, the policy of the bar in question is hardly flawless.

It accepts University College Worcester cards because managers assume the holder must be over 18. In higher education, it's conceivable the student could be 17, of course.

A Citizen's Card or driving licence with date of birth clearly marked are surely just as reliable.

If bars decide they're not, we fear for the future of the voluntary ID scheme, because it won't be worth anyone's effort in acquiring a card. And that would be stupid.

Time for action, we think.