POLICE have issued a warning after receiving several reports of counterfeit cash being used in the last few weeks to pay for a range of items including secondhand goods and takeaways.

North Yorkshire Police said most reports have been from the York area, but they believe the currency maybe used elsewhere in the county too.

The fake notes have been used to pay for second hand items bought through Facebook Marketplace and Ebay, as well as for food items and takeaways.

A spokesperson for the force said: "The currency is very crudely created, the notes tend to be opaque and much thicker material than authentic notes.

"Many of the notes have also been printed ‘Poonds’ instead of ‘Pounds’ and some even feature the small print: ‘This money is play money for video movie use only’.

"We’re urging the public to be extremely careful when accepting cash payments and to check that notes are genuine."

The security features on a £20 note can be found on The Bank of England website here.

An investigation into these counterfeit notes is currently ongoing and if you think you have been paid using counterfeit currency, call 101 to report this to police.

Reference number: 12210103581