Shop around - that's the message to hard-pressed families hoping to make some ready cash from their gold.

A mystery test on shops around Medway showed some offered more than a third more for rings, necklaces and the like than other stores.

In fact, 40 per cent of jewellers, pawnbrokers and secondhand shops checked in the borough were found to have either inaccurate or unapproved scales.

The lowest price offered for the 14g of scrap gold was £95 - with the top shop offering as much as £130.

Medway Council's portfolio holder for community safety and customer contact, Councillor Mike O'Brien, said: "This shows that people should shop around and not just accept the first price they are offered.

"Medway Council's working hard to ensure residents are not exploited and we are cracking down on anyone who's breaking the law."

Traders who were found to have defective measuring equipment have been issued with formal notices instructing them to comply with the law on weights and measures.

There will be follow-up visits and anyone still under-weighing may be prosecuted.