Door staff could face six months in prison if they do not register

From Monday, people working on doors in the North West will face prosecution if they do not hold a national licence.

The scheme will apply to all door staff working across England and Wales by April 2005.

Personnel will have to undergo 30 hours of training, take an exam and undergo a criminal records check.

They then pay �190 to receive a licence which spans a three-year period.

Not carrying the right licence could mean a six-month jail sentence and the employer could also be penalised.

We're concerned that we may not have enough door staff to go around Greater Manchester providing cover, especially at Christmas time Phil Burke, Manchester Pub and Club Network

But the Manchester Pub and Club Network says only 1,100 of 4,900 door staff have sent off the forms - and just 116 have so far passed all three stages of the assessment.

Spokesman Phil Burke said: "We're really concerned that it's now taking anything up to eight weeks to get the checks carried out.

"We're concerned that we may not have enough door staff to go around Greater Manchester providing cover, especially at Christmas time."

The new licensing system will be operated by the Security Industry Authority (SIA) which aims to raise standards.