Warnings over counterfeit money

People in Chester are being warned about counterfeit notes circulating in the city following a spate of incidents in recent weeks.

According to Cheshire Police shoppers and businesses in the city have reported more than 20 incidents in the past few weeks.

Now officers are urging people to check every note they receive when making cash transactions.

Det Sgt Barry Brown said: "Counterfeit money is a serious problem."

'Dodgy notes'

"It usually hits the open market as a result of some earlier form of criminal activity - often relating to drugs.

"We are working extremely hard to take these dodgy notes out of general circulation and want people to be on their guard when using paper money and to check every note they receive.

"All Bank of England notes have a number of security features, such as raised text, metallic thread, microtext and holograms, and while some fakes can be very close to the real thing none can replicate all of the features.

"Another indication that notes are counterfeit is ink staining. This is often used to mask imperfections in the print of the fakes and any stained notes should be treated with extreme caution."