THE weak pound has enabled a North Lancashire jeweller to take on extra staff.

Lancaster-based Banks Lyon Jewellers have taken on two more staff following a rise in international sales.

Owner Rodney Banks-Lyon said: “A lot of it is down to the unrivalled quality of our pieces, but we have seen a marked rise in the number of overseas customers coming to us because the weak pound has made the UK market the cheapest in the world.”

Mr Banks-Lyon said that low interest rates also helped with people choosing to invest in prestigious goods rather than keep money in the banks.