POLICE are advising shopkeepers and business owners in West Berkshire to be on their guard after several reports of fake Bank of England £50 notes being circulated.

So far the following serial number has been identified as being linked to these counterfeit £50 notes: BE04 445628.

Serial numbers on genuine banknotes are unique, so if you have a note carrying this number it is liable to be counterfeit.

There may be other serial numbers linked to the batch of counterfeit notes. If you find one please contact police on 101 quoting reference number 43160310111.

They can be readily identifiable as counterfeit £50 notes by checking some of the key security features present in the genuine notes. These include:

Genuine notes feature a serial of green rectangles which contain a £ symbol and number 50.

Movement can be seen when the note is tilted / moved. In the counterfeits there are just green printed squares (these have no detail or movement).

Genuine notes feature a watermark, which contain a picture of the Queen with a bright, contrasting £50. The counterfeits appear to contain a watermark: Queen & £50, however, there is no contrast between them.

Genuine notes feature a raised printed ‘Bank of England’ text across the note and in the lower right corner. The counterfeits do not have raised print

For further information on how to check your banknotes are genuine,you can visit the Bank of England website: http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/banknotes/Pages/educational.aspx

Apps available from the following links containing details of security features in all Bank of England notes:

http://appstore.com/bankofenglandbanknotes or http://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.co.bankofengland.banknotes

Counterfeit banknotes are normally removed from circulation very quickly, and represent a tiny proportion of the genuine banknotes in circulation.

Any person with information about persons passing counterfeit notes are asked to contact their local police station (via 101) or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111

If you recognise that you are dealing with a counterfeit note during the transaction then call Police on 101