CHILDREN in Huntingdon and St Ives are being asked for ID – to buy ice-cream. The towns Thorntons stores have introduced a ban on selling rum and raisin ice-cream to children under 18, because of its alcohol content. The treat has an alcohol content of 0

CHILDREN in Huntingdon and St Ives are being asked for ID - to buy ice-cream.

The towns' Thorntons stores have introduced a ban on selling rum and raisin ice-cream to children under 18, because of its alcohol content.

The treat has an alcohol content of 0.7 per cent - 0.2 per cent above the level to be classed as 'non-alcoholic' under the Licensing Act 2003.

However, it would take about 28 scoops of rum and raisin ice-cream to be equivalent to the alcohol content of one pint of beer.

Shopper Hayley Sizer, from Chatteris, said: "It should be the parent's choice what to give their children and it seems ridiculous to ban children from eating ice cream."

A spokesman for Thorntons said: "Thorntons restricts the sale of rum and raisin ice-cream because of Government legislation regarding alcohol content.

"Thorntons is working to reduce the alcohol content of its ice-cream to below 0.5 per cent so rum and raisin can be sold to minors."

Kim Williams, manager of Thorntons in Huntingdon, said: "It seems ridiculous but rules are rules.

"We get children in every day asking for rum and raisin ice cream and when we say no they always say: 'proof of age? For ice-cream?'

"It is a popular flavour - particularly with the older generation.