SHOP owners are urged to be aware of fake £50 notes after two incidents in Kingswood and Berkeley yesterday.

A counterfeit £50 note was used to purchase a magazine and a chocolate bar at Kingswood Post Office. A shop worker gave them their change before realising that it was fake.

The men were white, in their 20s, wearing dark clothing and had Irish accents. One had ginger hair and the other had dark hair.

In a second incident yesterday, another fake £50 note was used to buy a drink at a Berkeley coffee shop. It wasn’t until after change had been given that staff realised the money was counterfeit.

Shop owners are urged to check bank notes before accepting them by using a detector pen or ultra-violet light and to also look out for low value items being purchased with a £50 note.

More advice on identifying counterfeit notes can be found on the Bank of England’s website: bankofengland.co.uk/banknotes/Pages/counterfeitadvice.aspx

Anyone with information of these incidents should call police on 101 quoting incidents 271 of January 17 and 89 of January 18.