A jeweller has been ordered to pay more than £1,700 in fines and costs after admitting to selling gold without an official hallmark at his Bradford shop.

Murkhtar Ahmed, 45, of Park Drive, Heaton, pleaded guilty to 11 charges of offering to supply unhallmarked jewellery, including bracelets, rings, earrings and a wedding set, when he appeared at Bradford and Keighley Magistrates’ Court yesterday.

Prosecutor Harjit Ryatt told the court it was essential all gold items sold by jewellers were sent away to be hallmarked at an assay office to guarantee the standard of the gold to customers.

He said a West Yorkshire Trading Standards officer had bought a ring at Ahmed’s shop, Mangla Jewellers in Horton Grange Road, in February last year, which was later found to be unhallmarked.

Officers returned to the shop a month later and discovered nine out of ten of the items on sale were not hallmarked and ten pieces of jewellery were seized.

Mr Ryatt, who said the items being sold were all genuine, added Ahmed had been warned of the need to hallmark his stock by officers on four previous occasions.

Solicitor Philip Goldberg, representing Ahmed, said his client was of good character and had pleaded guilty to the offences at the earliest possible opportunity.

He said customers at the shop, which was opened more than 30 years ago by Ahmed’s father, were content items they bought were of good value and gold was checked several times before being put on sale.

Items that arrived unhallmarked were now placed in secure storage away from items on sale, Mr Goldberg said.

Bench chairman Patricia Tillotson, who ordered Ahmed to pay an £800 fine, £934 in costs and a £15 victim surcharge, said: “The bench feel that you were aware that this jewellery should have been hallmarked as you had been warned on four other occasions.”

After the hearing, David Strover, principal trading standards officer, said: “Hallmarking is a centuries-old form of consumer protection and should give customers confidence when buying items of jewellery and precious metals that the items they are receiving are genuine.

“I hope this case puts the jewellery trade on notice that Trading Standards will act against jewellers failing to comply with the Hallmarking Act.”

Ashley Carson, assay master at Sheffield Assay Office, who also attended the hearing, said: “We hope this will be a lesson to traders to make sure they examine stock and ensure it complies with the Hallmarking Act.”