Sunderland pubs hit by fake twenties

Licensees in Sunderland have been warned to watch out for fake £20 notes.

Pubs in the town have been hit by a spate of incidents in which conmen paid for drinks using the dodgy notes. One company, Wylam Leisure, which owns a number of pubs in Sunderland, is reported to be £1,000 down after three of its pubs were targeted - ttonic, Vision and Glass Spider.

Company director Tony Griffiths told Sunderland Today: "These notes look unbelievably authentic. None of our staff realised they were fake - and they do make a habit of checking."

Griffiths said he only realised that the notes were fake when he received a call from the bank after depositing the weekend's takings.

Despite having issued warnings to licensees, police were unable to tell the Morning Advertiser exactly how to spot the fake notes.

Barmaid Deb Woods of Wylam outlet ttonic said: "Apparently they are really hard to spot. I've heard that the only thing that is different about them is that the Queen's head in the watermark is slightly off-centre.

"We've heard the notes have been spent all over town."

A 16-year-old was arrested outside Idols bar in

connection with the fake notes. He has been bailed until January.

A spokesman for Sunderland police said: "We are aware of a number of forged notes that were circulated in Sunderland on Saturday 28 October. We are asking staff to remain vigilant and check notes carefully."

Sunderland police have issued an appeal for anyone with any information to contact them on 0191 4547555.