A Burnham-On-Sea Carnival Club is counting the cost of crime after receiving £100 of counterfeit bank notes at a street party held in the town on Sunday evening (August 24th).
Hillview Carnival Club raised more than £700 towards the significant cost of building its float during a street party held outside the Somerset and Dorset pub, but found at the end of Sunday’s event that it had accepted several fake £20 notes.
Lyn Burland, the club’s treasurer, showed Burnham-On-Sea.com the counterfeit notes, pictured here, and warned other businesses in the town to keep an eye out.
“Three of the £20 notes had identical serial numbers and two others had the same serial number,” she told Burnham-On-Sea.com.
“Two of the notes were made of very lightweight paper and had a poor quality ink. At first glance, they look genuine and we accepted them in good faith during a very busy evening on Sunday.”
“It was sickening when we realised later that evening that we’d received these notes and wouldn’t be getting a refund. It’s upsetting that this should happen.”
Sunday’s event included live music, a disco, barbecue, tombola and raffle and was attended by hundreds of people, as pictured here.
Mark Bishop of Hillview Carnival Club told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “It was a big disappointment that this happened after such a successful evening overall.”
It’s not the first time that fake bank notes have circulated in the town. In April this year, Burnham-On-Sea Chamber of Trade issued a warning after several notes were used at shops. The notes circulating this week have the same serial numbers as those earlier in the year.
Anyone with information about the source of the counterfeit notes should contact police via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
RELATED LINKS:
Burnham Chamber of Trade issues warning over fake bank notes
