Pawnbroker shops prospering in difficult times

As the recession continues to bite and people struggle to find credit from high-street lenders, pawnbroker shops are thriving.

Once associated with Dickensian London, there are now more than 2,000 pawnbrokers in the UK offering people loans in exchange for their possessions.

This figure is set to rise further as the squeeze on household income continues, as Jim Reed discovers in this BBC Newsnight report.