Door supervisors in Liverpool face an £80 on-the-spot fine if they fail to display their SIA licence.

Currently, doormen must be licensed by the Security Industry Authority (SIA) to do the job.  This new legislation will mean doormen employed at the city’s nightspots will be ordered to pay £80 if they are not displaying their licence.

This comes as a result of members of the public complaining that they were unable  to identify bouncers involved in fights because they were not displaying their SIA licence as required by law.

Merseyside police have said they welcome this move, which will come into force on January 28.

Sgt Paul Douglas, of the Liverpool north division, said: “We have tried to clamp down in the past but it’s extended our powers in relation to this particular offence.

“When the police come round it’s there for us to see, but when we disappear it goes into their pocket.

“But the vast majority do display it around their necks and they also wear armbands.”

The past few years has seen the security industry in Liverpool tighten up.  Police have targeted cowboy firms in Merseyside involved in serious and alleged organised crime.