A rug left stacked in the corner of a charity shop turned out to be worth thousands of pounds.

Volunteers at Norwood, in Golders Green Road, Golders Green, realised they might have found a magic carpet after they realised it was a valuable Persian rug.

Although it is worth much more, they were keen to sell it as a discounted price to help the charity benefit from the proceeds, and it was sold for £900.

Eagle-eyed branch manager Sherrie Arjomand, who grew up in Persia, realised the rug's potential value when she saw it in store.

She said: “When we unrolled it I could tell it was valuable and very good quality. It was going to be sold for a few hundred pounds so I’m relieved I saw it.

“The person who bought it still picked up a bargain as it would be worth much more in the high street.”