They are worried many door security staff may find themselves out of a job.

Registration schemes run by local councils are to be replaced by licences operated by the Security Industry Authority (SIA).

Under the stringent new regulations, bouncers will have to prove they have had no involvement in crime for up to five years.

They will also have to attend courses to obtain the right qualifications.

The SIA estimate that between 30% and 40% of door staff nationally will not be able to gain a licence.

They expect you to learn in a day what you have then go to do in a lifetime Robert Hall, doorman

The licensing is due to start nationally in summer 2004.

Tim Vigus, who co-ordinates a team of 40 door security staff in Truro, said: "We have been slowly heading towards this legislation and when it comes in, the thug will no longer have a place on the door."

But he feared that nightclubs would experience a shortage of qualified doormen.

"To be fully qualified, door staff will have to have done courses in first aid, fire safety, drugs awareness, conflict management and physical intervention, as well as all of the current licensing laws that are in place at the moment.

Right qualifications

"Research has been done which shows that, in the next four to five years, there will be 560,000 jobs within this industry, but only 260,000 people who will be able to fill the posts because they have got the right qualifications."

Robert Hall, a doorman who has worked in Newquay for more than 13 years, said experience was more important than paper qualifications.

"I have gained a lot of experience in dealing with drunken and violent people.

"I went on the course this year, and some of it was quite good, but I thought the parts on physical intervention and conflict management were quite poor.