Local residents and business owners are warned to be vigilant as Tenby Post Office encounters an increase in counterfeit £20 notes.

Fiona Malone, of Tenby Post Office, told us this week that an unprecedented number of £20s have been identified as forgeries.

“In every instance we are convinced the person handling the banknote was not aware that it was counterfeit,” she said, “but if we find one, we are obliged to confiscate it.”

“They have come both from members of the public and business owners,” added Vince Malone.

At Tenby Post Office, the detection process starts with a machine that alerts staff if a note fails to pass its stringent tests. The next stage is to examine the banknote for any telling signs that it may be a forgery. A banknote detector pen (on sale at the Post Office) can also reveal a counterfeit banknote.

As a member of the public who may be unwittingly handing counterfeit money, it is important to realise that once a banknote has been identified as a forgery, it will be confiscated, leaving you ‘out of pocket’.

The situation is likely to continue until 2020 when the artist JMW Turner will appear on a new polymer £20 note.

For more information on how to spot a fake, visit www.bankofengland.co.uk, look for the ‘banknotes’ heading and click on the words ‘counterfeit banknotes’.

“If anyone is suspicious of any notes they receive they are asked to contact their local police and if possible retain the fake notes,” said a spokesperson for Dyfed Powys Police.Observer pics.