An investigation by the Bristol Evening Post has shown how a loophole in the law could be encouraging criminals to steal mobile phones.

An Evening Post reporter visited a local shop with a stolen phone and was able to get it reactivated without any checks being made on whether he was the owner.

The phone had been reported stolen but the shop, among a handful in Bristol offering the service, unlocked the phone for just £10 without any questions being asked.

The phone had been locked by the network operator, but the shop was able to hook it up to a computer and within minutes it was ready to use.

The reporter then asked the shop assistant to confirm if it was definitely unlocked, and he was shown the computer screen which showed that all the locks had been taken off.

The Evening Post reporter later confronted the shop, and the manager said he would be asking for ID from anybody who wants to get a phone unlocked.

He said: “We will be asking people for identification from now on, but the trouble is you can never be 100 per cent sure that you are dealing with legitimate people all the time.

“Our business is completely above board and there are many reasons why people would want a mobile phone unlocked, not just because they are stolen. Unlocking phones is only five to ten per cent of the business we do here.

“We are well aware of the high level of crime connected with mobile phones and in no way do we want to encourage that. If people want to sell us goods they have to prove it belongs to them.

“But I appreciate there is a loophole in the law which allows people to unlock stolen phones.”