Ivory items worth £1.3m discovered for sale online

HUNDREDS of ivory items worth almost £1.3 million have been discovered for sale online in Europe over a period of only two weeks, Interpol has revealed.

Analysis of 660 advertisements on 61 internet auction sites across nine European countries suggests they represent 4,500kg of ivory.

The international trade in ivory is banned, but some items such as “antique” ivory traded within the EU are subject to less strict regulations

But with few obligations on sellers to prove their ivory is legal, the report by the world police body called for the introduction of legislation to deal specifically with internet sales.