ANTIQUEs dealers have been praised by trading standards officers following an enforcement exercise.

Undercover officers visited 25 antiques dealers across North Yorkshire, offering to sell high value items such as a silver teaset, a Royal Worcester vase and a diamond ring.

Graham Venn, the county council's head of trading standards, said that all the dealers were honest when valuing the goods.

He said: "There was ample opportunity to say, for example, that the diamonds were not genuine, the tea set not really silver and the vase a fake but not one of them tried it on.

"In every case, the dealer was honest and, indeed, dealers refused to do business at all, saying that they did not buy from sellers off the street."

The survey did show that there was a wide variation in prices offered.

Mr Venn said that people should shop around, especially for antiques.

Councillor Carl Les, executive member for trading standards, said: "These results are really good news and once again it shows that North Yorkshire is generally a safe and honest place to live, work and shop.

"All antiques dealers are registered with the trading standards service and have to keep detailed records of where they buy and sell.

"The county council saw the need for these additional controls ten years ago and introduced the North Yorkshire County Council Act 1991.

"Since then, the public of North Yorkshire has enjoyed a much higher level of protection than anywhere else in the country."