A CREWE-BASED online retailer has opened a rework facility to breath new life into returned appliances.

AO's Latchford warehouse at Weston Road is testing returned goods with the aim of reselling them.

The firm says since the facility opened last month, it is handling around 900 appliances a week, including washing machines, fridges and TVs from a range of well-known manufacturers.

If not reworked they may have ended up never being used and heading for landfill.

They are sold for a reduced price on the AO Outlet Ebay shop.

Mark Rothwell, head of outlet sales at AO, said: "Our engineers take the time to thoroughly test these appliances three to four times so we can guarantee that they're as good as new for future customers.

"At AO, we believe that reuse is the best form of recycling, so we're really pleased to offer a new facility to support the second-hand market while also offering some great bargains for our customers."

The new facility has created several roles for engineers, while AO plans to launch apprenticeships in this speciality.

College leaver Ben Swift was a runner transporting appliances around the workshop, before AO trained him up to work in the new facility.

Rework Production Manager Michael Owen said: "In the last few months, Ben has proved to be an invaluable member of the team with new as well as more experienced engineers approaching him for advice.

"We have now given him a contract to recognise his efforts and look forward to seeing the growth of his skillsets over the coming years."

Crewe is also home to AO Logistics' head office and two other distribution centres, Alpha and Omega.

Have you signed up for our weekly newsletter yet? You can keep up with all the latest stories from Crewe straight to your inbox every Friday by signing up at the bottom of this story.

Follow our online newspaper on your favourite social media channel. You can find us on Facebook and Twitter.

And have you seen our new motors section? Click HERE to read all about it.