Retail giant John Lewis is rolling out a trial scheme in which it will buy back customers' unwanted clothes to reduce the amount left in landfill each year.

The app-based service is currently being tested among 100 customers, who can sell any unwanted garments back to the department store, regardless of their condition.

However, customers can only sell items purchased from John Lewis back to the retailer - as the app can track what they have bought from the store in the last five years.

On the app, customers can choose which items to sell back, and are then given a price. Once they have racked up £50, a courier will come and collect the unwanted clothes.

Once clothes have been collected, they are credited £50 in John Lewis vouchers. The unwanted items may then be mended, resold or recycled.

So far, John Lewis has shelled out £4 for a pair of broken cashmere gloves, and £8 for a pencil skirt.

If the trial is successful, customers will be given the option to donate the money from the used clothes to charity.

Martyn White, sustainability manager at John Lewis said: "We already take back used sofas, beds and large electrical items such as washing machines and either donate them to charity or reuse and recycle parts, and want to offer a service for fashion products.

"It's estimated that the average UK household owns around £4,000 worth of clothes, but around 30% of that clothing has not been worn for at least a year, most commonly because it no longer fits.

"We hope that by making it as easy as we possibly can for customers to pass on clothing that they're no longer wearing we can ensure that the maximum life is extracted from items bought from us."