Police have joined forces with a second-hand store chain to prevent thieves from selling stolen goods.

Cash Converters UK, which has branches in Southend, Grays, Pitsea, Basildon, Harlow, Chelmsford, Braintree and Colchester, will regularly provide information that will help to reduce crime and bring more criminals to justice.

The information will include serial numbers of all items offered for sale by customers and full details of the sellers, who will now have to confirm they are legal owners and have photos taken to verify their identities.

The move is being hailed by detectives as a crucial weapon to reduce crime, identity offenders and help to return stolen goods to rightful owners.