More shops in East Ayrshire will no longer be accepting Bank of England £5 notes, due to the amount of 'fakes'.

We reported earlier this month how Central Garage in Cumnock were not accepting the notes.

Marys Fabric Shop in Cumnock is on the same page and are not accepting the "counterfeit money".

 

We along with other business in the town , are at the moment not taking English £5 and £10 notes . Sorry for any inconvenience but we cannot sustain any loss due to counterfeit money . Janet and Evelyn

Posted by Marys Fabric Shop on Tuesday, 2 November 2021

It seems the issue has now moved beyond Cumnock, with The Cotton Trail in Catrine also not accepting the cash.

 

Sorry we will not be accepting any English notes due to the recent amount of fraudulent notes we have been receiving .

Posted by The Cotton Trail on Wednesday, 17 November 2021

A representative from The Cotton Trail said: "Most of the shops in Catrine have decided to stop taking the English £5 notes for the time being. I believe this is happening in Cumnock as well.

"We have had a few this week. Started from Monday. We were told to use a coin to scrape the note over the face of the queen- it comes off like a scratch card.

"We have had several and thought it best to take action."

The Craighead Inn and Greggs in Cumnock are also believed to have taken in the fake cash in the last few weeks.

Despite the rise in reports, Police Scotland say they have not received any reports of fake bank notes in circulation in the area.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said :"We are not aware of counterfeit currency being circulated in Cumnock but anyone who deliberately uses counterfeit currency is committing a crime and we will investigate all instances reported to us. 

"If you suspect you may have received one of these notes or have information about those using them you should call police on 101."

East Ayrshire Council Trading Standards team said this is a serious matter that should be dealt with by police.