The Government has delayed plans to introduce age checks on pornography websites amid fears they could be watered down.

Adult websites were due to verify that visitors are over 18 from next month, under laws set out in last year’s Digital Economy Act. However, the newly-appointed regulator, the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), is yet to reveal how the checks should work.

Over the weekend the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) said it now hoped the measures would be in place by the end of the year.

It added that the guidelines will be subject to a consultation and must be voted on by MPs, raising the possibility they could be challenged by opponents of the measures.

Digital rights groups have warned that forcing visitors to prove they are over 18, such as entering credit card details or giving away other personal data, could endanger people’s privacy and risks sending children to extreme and illegal material on the “dark web”.