Gold prices prompt thefts

Necklaces stained with blood are being found at pawnbrokers because of a spate of violent robberies caused by the rocketing price of gold, police have said.

Scotland Yard said there was an increase in the number of snatch thefts and robberies of jewellery as the price of gold has doubled.

A police spokesman said: "There have been a spate of Asian snatch robberies involving Asian gold across London. Blood-stained necklaces are finding their way into cash-for-gold shops."

In one robbery, a 20-year-old disabled woman in a wheelchair had her necklace snatched from around her neck in east London.

In an attempt to curb the thefts, Cash Converters, which has 197 stores in London, has agreed to share with the Met information about suspicious goods.