73-year-old asked to prove he is over 18

Great granddad John Payne was stunned when a store assistant refused to let him buy fishing equipment until he could prove he was old enough.

Mr Payne, 73, of Bremhill, was buying a fishing catapult at the Original Factory Shop in Melksham when he was asked to show valid identification proving he was over 18.

He said: “At first I thought that she was just trying to be humorous. But when I cheekily replied ‘do I look 18?’ she asked if I could prove it, and then asked me to verify this with some form of identification.



“At this point I realised that she was in fact being serious.”

“As much as I am not impartial to a little humorous flattery, on this occasion I felt extremely humiliated by the assistant’s obvious lack of judgement and the suggestion that I was not a responsible enough adult to purchase a catapult designed for the purpose of firing maggots into the river to attract fish.”

Mr Payne then produced his driving licence, which he has held for 55 years. “I am 73 years old and have grandchildren who are probably older than the girl serving me,” he said. “I have a 50-year-old daughter for goodness sake.”