A tan is an important fashion statement to many teenagers

BBC One's Real Story found seven out of 10 randomly chosen tanning salons in Newcastle, allowed a 14-year-old girl to book sessions.

The British Medical Association and Cancer Research UK have called for a ban on under-16s using tanning salons.

The Sunbed Association says it has no powers to enforce its under-16 rule.

The term "tanorexia" has been coined by doctors alarmed at the spiralling numbers of youngsters putting themselves at risk of skin cancer as they chase the perfect skin colour.

Carrying out the test for the Real Story programme, schoolgirl Agnes Sharpe said staff on Tyneside which did not reject her, made no mention of her age.

Irresponsible operators

She told the programme: "In one of them I did fill in a form which had my date of birth on it, but they didn't say anything about it.

A recent study by Newcastle University found about 100 people a year die in the UK as a direct result of sunbed use, with many suffering long term damage in their youth.

The over-exposure of the skin to ultra-violet light can lead to cancer.

European guidelines suggest that even adults should not use sunbeds more than once a week.

Newcastle General Hospital's Professor Brian Diffey likened irresponsible sunbed operators to shops selling cigarettes to under-16s.

The Sunbed Association, which represents a minority of salons, has no legal powers to enforce its under-16s rule.

Spokeswoman Kathy Banks said: "All we can hope for is that membership expands so we can represent a far bigger proportion of the tanning outlets and then regulate them in the absence of government regulation."