Abbey National has launched a new debit card featuring the account holder's photo - nine years after dumping the idea when it took over the Bradford-based National & Provincial Building Society.

Abbey, which was taken over by the Spanish bank Santander Central Hispano (SCH) last year, has unveiled the new photocards in a blaze of publicity.

They can carry a customer's own picture, that of a loved one or even a pet. The publicity hails the idea as a "unique" way to personalise your debit card.

But the N&P, which was taken over by Abbey in 1996, pioneered the idea of using photos on cards 12 years ago.

On that occasion, the main purpose was as a security measure. The N&P laser-printed customers' pictures on the back of cards and reportedly helped to cut fraud by up to 90 per cent within five months.

At the time of the launch, in March 1993, the move was hailed as "the biggest single anti-fraud measure" in the plastic cards market since they first appeared in the late 1960s.

It sparked interest from police across the UK, who welcomed it in the fight against credit card fraud.

Today, an Abbey spokesman said she was unaware of the N&P pioneering the photocard. She said Abbey had launched the product after research indicated people would like to customise their bank card and 26 per cent of those asked said it may even influence their choice of bank.

Michael Johnson, Abbey's director of cash, said: "We know people like to be given choices in how they manage their money and we hope the option of personalising their cards and statements makes them feel that their bank treats them like an individual, not a number."

The bank, which employs more than 2,000 staff in Bradford, is charging £5 for the new picture cards.

Meanwhile, Abbey is beginning to roll-out its new-look image and logo across its literature and branch network.

The Telegraph & Argus exclusively revealed last year that the company was to ditch the controversial multi-coloured logo, launched in 2003, and the move was officially confirmed last month.