A CAR rental firm has been accused of "acting like big brother" after asking customers for their fingerprints before handing over a vehicle.

The policy introduced by Alamo was highlighted by a husband and wife from Dunsop Bridge who wanted to rent a Ford Transit van to help with a furniture removal.

But when the men delivering the van from Preston asked to take a thumb print from one of them before handing over the keys, they cancelled the rental and ended up hiring from another company.

Lancashire police said it was not aware of hire companies doing this type of thing but agreed that if the vehicle was stolen it would make it easier to trace those responsible if they had a thumb print.

Liberty, a national body which seeks to protect civil liberties, questioned whether there was real need for someone's print to be taken just for a van.

A spokesperson said: "We must ensure that these fingerprint schemes are not using technology just for the sake of it and are properly regulated.

"Is the biometric data of customers being kept private and is there truly no alternative?"

The rental company, which also has bases in Wigan, Morecambe and Lancaster, defended its actions and said finger printing was something it had been doing nationally for 12 months in order to combat theft and fraud.

The couple from Dunsop Bridge, who asked not to be named, are in their 50s and said they had been using the company for over a decade.

They were later told that if they had gone down to the office in Blackpool Road, Preston, they could have walked away with the van without leaving their prints - a process that baffled the couple who are both in their 50s The husband said: "I've never come across something as stupid as this.

"They were on our front doorstep, what difference would it make if we went down to the office?

"It's just like big brother. If I gave them a print I'm sure it would be so easy for them to uplift it.

"For two people who I don't know from Adam to come and ask me for my prints is ludicrous.

"They'll be wanting DNA for a slice of bread next."

The company puts the thumb print on to the rental agreement and keeps it alongside the driver's licence details.

A team leader at Preston Alamo said: "We have to do this if we deliver a vehicle to a house.

"If they come to the office we have all the information about them in front of us and can do security checks on them there and then.

"It's just for security.

"The only time the thumb print would ever be used is if the police asked us for it if one of our vehicles went missing.

"Once the print has been taken it is sent down to our scanning department at head office."