A number of classic albums by The Beatles have gone gold or platinum for the first time after sales rules were changed.

Industry body BPI recently confirmed that albums in the UK that sell over 100,000 or 300,000 copies will be awarded gold or platinum status respectively automatically.

Record labels previously had to request an award if the album had passed the sales threshold - but the BPI's system was only introduced in 1974, after the Beatles' split.

The new procedures means that a total of 13 Beatles albums will now receive awards, including 'Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' and 'Abbey Road'.

However, the backdating of sales will only stretch back to 1994 when the Official Charts Company started collating data.

As a result, 'Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' will receive triple-platinum status for its 900,000 sales since 1994 - but it has sold some 5.1m copies in the UK since its release in 1967.