Counterfeit notes warning in Northamptonshire as police remind people to 'closely inspect' cash

Although police say they have not seen a significant increase in incident in the county, our court reporters have seen a marked rise in the number of cases coming before magistrates and judges, with several prosecutions currently making their way through the system.

One Corby man, Andru-Jay Burness, of Corby, was recently fined for possession of a fake note, and another case was heard on Thursday at Northampton Crown Court. In that case, Daryl Bright, of Windmill Avenue, Kettering, admitted possession of counterfeit £20 notes and will be sentenced next month.

In other areas of the country, police have recently issued warnings. Last month, police in neighbouring Leicestershire said that they had had 30 reports of people being handed fake bank notes after selling items online. Avon and Somerset, Cheshire, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Police have also said they have noticed a spike in instances. South Yorkshire Police said that they had had 25 reports of people using bogus cash in February.

As the use of cash falls, people may become less familiar with how to spot counterfeit notes. The Bank of England has issued this advice which helps people spot fakes.

Although in general, the number of counterfeit notes is thought to be falling, the vast majority of fake notes are of the £20 denomination.

A Northamptonshire Police spokeswoman said: “Although we are not seeing a significant increase in the number of counterfeit notes in Northamptonshire, we would always advise people to closely inspect any cash they handle due to the potential for fake notes to appear within bundles of genuine currency.

“If you do suspect some cash handed over to you is counterfeit, please take care to handle it as little as possible and report it to police.”