The cards have been scrapped by the government under the Identity Documents Act.

Within days the National Identity Register - which was designed to hold the details of card holders - will be destroyed.

Laid to rest

Immigration minister Damian Green said: ‘Laying ID cards to rest demonstrates the government’s commitment to scale back the power of the state and restore civil liberties.

‘It is about the people having trust in the government to know when it is necessary and appropriate for the state to hold and use personal data, and it is about the government placing their trust in the common-sense and responsible attitude of the people.’

Change in law

Card holders will no longer be able to use the cards to prove their identity or as a travel document in Europe.

The Identity and Passport Service (IPS) has written to all existing cardholders and informed international border agencies, travel operators and customers of the change in law.

For more information about the decommissioning of the National Identity Scheme and for frequently asked questions, visit the IPS website.