Oxford has today become the first place in the UK to introduce space-age shopping -- all you need to make a purchase is your finger.

A new fingerpad at a checkout at the Headington Co-op

The Midcounties Co-operative has teamed up with San Francisco-based biometric company Pay By Touch to offer British shoppers the option of paying by finger scan, with no need for cards, cheque books, or cash.

The Co-op, in London Road, Headington, has been chosen to pilot the futuristic system and it will be coming to branches in Banbury Road and Summertown in Oxford, and Black Bourton Road, Carterton, shortly.

Following an initial sign-up process, which can be done at home, online or in store, shoppers place their index finger on a scanner at the till and enter a search number, which allows their details to be found more quickly.

Once verified, the charge is debited from that account.

The scan can also be programmed to recognise store loyalty card holders and shoppers' birth dates, to avoid the need to show identification when buying alcohol.

Pay by Touch vice president Tom Fischer said convenience was not its only benefit. "It is also a far more secure way of paying, as by using Pay by Touch you're not revealing your PIN, your account number or anything. Even if it was possible to get someone's fingerprint again and recreate it, the scanner takes a 3D image and can look for signs of pulse.

"Pay by Touch seems to appeal to older people as much as the young. Sometimes older people can feel vulnerable carrying cash or cards around, but this means they don't have to."

About 100 people have signed up to the system in the Co-op already, in the run-up to its official launch today.

In the US 2.3m shoppers are registered with the scheme at more than 2,000 locations.

Bill Laird, of the Midcounties Co-op, said: "Initial response from our members has been very encouraging and we're delighted to be the first UK retailer to offer a more secure and convenient way to pay. Our customers are embracing pay by touch because it helps them get through the checkout faster without having to hunt for cards, cheques, wallets or purses."

Thames Valley spokesman Kate Smith said: "We would welcome any scheme which makes it more difficult for criminals to operate."

But Michael Hugh-Jones, of the Oxford Pensioners Forum, said: "I'm against all new schemes because they simply confuse elderly people."