Shop owner's warning as fake £50 notes on the rise

Dave Hockridge runs a retail business in South Street in Chichester, and has noticed the problem grow in the last few months after reports of a similar scam which is gripping Portsmouth.

He said just this week a customer tried to pay with a fake £50 for a small purchase, but thankfully they were spotted by an eagle-eyed staff member after being warned of a similar incident at Mr Hockridge’s Portsmouth store.

Regarding the Portsmouth incident, he said: “They are very bad copies and didn’t even have to leave the man’s hand.

“He said he’d just been payed with them. I told him he should give them back to his employer.”

If you have any information about the £50 note scam, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.