With the Transport Control Department threatening hefty fines for teens who use fake Bermuda driver's licences, Island bars and night clubs have also had to become more vigilant of the lengths underage teens will go to drink illegally

"It's my responsibility to keep the peace," said a bouncer who was manning the door to one Front Street Night Club on Friday night. "I have to check for ID's and make sure there's no under-age drinking going on... really just make sure that everyone is taken care of."

According to Docksiders' owner, Reed Young, the bar's bouncers are told to check the ID's of anyone who looks under 21.

"Our policy is ask for passports and driver's licences - we don't accept anything else, but I hear some driver's licences are fake now."

The bouncer, who declined to give his name, described his own difficulties with recognising fraudulent cards but admitted that some fakes are easier to spot than others, especially the familiar Bermudian drivers' licences.

"It's easier to check Bermudian ID's to make sure they're not fake, but it's not really easy. You just have look at them. It's just the foreign ID's which are harder because you don't know what you are looking for. You just have to look at a foreign ID and take it as real." he said, adding there are many different types of foreign identity cards and bouncers have no way of checking their authenticity.

When asked if he was aware that a number of teens had used foreign cards to get into his bar that night, the bouncer was not surprised.

"Underage foreigners using foreign ID's... I've heard about that, but basically we just have to check the ID and if they don't have any ID we say 'Check you later, bye'."

"But unless they slip through when you are not looking, we try our hardest not to let them in."

As for whether it easier for an underage girl to get into a club than it is for a male who is under 18, especially if the girl is sexed up a little bit, he replied with an emphatic "no".

"As long as you have your ID then you get in, and if you don't have your ID then you just have to go somewhere else to play.

Basically most of the time everyone has their ID, but the only thing we have problems with is keying in on fake ID's. It's not that easy to tell unless you can see its been tampered with."

He said the key to controlling access remained a close inspection of the ID and comparing the ID's picture to the clubber presenting it.

"I just look at the person and see if the faces match the age but it's hard to tell. Sometimes you are sceptical but then they have their ID's and as long as you've got your ID, we let you in."

When asked if Docksiders' was harsher with carding its clientele he responded. "I wouldn't say we're stricter but we try to go by the rules and by-laws as much as we can basically"

"I know there's a lot of people who are under age and a lot of them want to drink but they're going do what ever it takes to get into the bar."