POLICE found £600 in counterfeit notes in the bedroom of a sandwich shop owner from the Selby area, York Crown Court heard.

Officers were searching the home of Simon Andrew Burbridge, of Eversley Court, Sherburn-in-Elmet, after staff at a Harrogate pub found him with drugs in the toilets.

Nicholas Barker, prosecuting, said police found £610 in £10 notes, only one of which was genuine, in a bedroom drawer at Burbridge's home.

Burbridge, 27, who runs the Nought E shop in Blake Street, York, pleaded guilty to possessing counterfeit notes, two charges each of possessing cocaine and possessing cannabis, and one of possessing Ecstasy.

Judge Scott Wolstenholme fined him £1,350 and warned him that further drugs offences could put him behind bars.

Nicholas Barker, prosecuting, said staff at The Slug And Lettuce, in Harrogate, checked the toilet cubicles after hearing someone apparently sniffing drugs there.

They found Burbridge with a rolled banknote in his hand and cocaine, cannabis and £1,000 in takings from his organic sandwich shop in his pockets.

He told them he had only been urinating and urged them to let him leave saying: "You have no idea what this will do to me. I have just started up a business".

Mr Barker told the court that Burbridge had tried to run off, but doormen grabbed him and called the police. Officers searching his home the next day found more drugs and the counterfeit notes.

Mr Barker said in total Burbridge had the equivalent of seven whole Ecstasy tablets, 2.64g of cocaine worth between £80 and £110 and 7.5g of cannabis.

He told police all the drugs were for his own use. He had bought £150-worth of cocaine while out on New Year's Eve, but had not started to use it. He had gone to the toilet for legitimate reasons and was not intending to take drugs there.

For Burbridge, Andrew Lees handed in two character references.

He said the shop owner had never intended to use the fake money, which had been given to him when he was "in drink" at a party. He was tackling his drug problem.

Burbridge had large debts, and his business had a £62,000 annual turnover.

Afterwards, Burbridge said he was happy with the sentence.

"I believe it was fair. I have acknowledged my guilt to everything to which I have been found guilty of, I don't feel as though I have been treated unfairly and I am happy I have received just punishment for the crimes I have committed," he said.

"Anyone would regret what happened. Had I had my time again I would not have put myself in that situation."

Burbridge said the court case had not affected the running of his business, which was making "very positive" progress.

He said: "What happened had nothing to do with the business, it took place nowhere near it, it was not even in York," he said.

Updated: 15:51 Wednesday, November 06, 2002