WITH the Rio Olympics officially starting on Friday, there's a chance to see a genuine Olympic torch at a Worcester pawnbroker's shop.

The torch is on display at Fast Cash in the Shambles, where it is on offer for £2,499. Its original owner sold it to the shop some eight months ago.

Shop manager Mark Minton said: "I understand he's hoping to be able to buy it back, and I hope he manages to.

"It's not every day that we have something like this in the shop, and quite a few people have commented on it."

The Olympic Flame passed through Worcester in May 2012, ahead of that year's games in London.

Dozens of people were Olympic flame-bearers as the torch made its way through the county, selected for their contributions towards the community.

Each of them was entitled to keep the torch that they carried during their stretch of the route, which passed through Droitwich, Worcester and Malvern.