A BANK note supremo has warned York traders not to let crooks cash in on counterfeits.

Lee Dobney, head of notes at the Bank Of England, told retailers, security bosses and police at a special city conference the net was now closing on high street forgers.

Mr Dobney said finance experts on Threadneedle Street, London, had drawn up a three-pronged attack on copycat notes.

A Guildhall meeting heard this included improving security features on paper cash, working closely with police and educating the public with leaflets outlining how to spot rogue banknotes.

As part of this nationwide information drive, the expert was dispatched to York to talk at a "Shopwatch" conference.

His visit comes after reports of fake money circulating at Royal Ascot at York.

Shopkeepers were put on alert last October for fake £50 notes after customers allegedly tried to pass off counterfeit currency at more than 20 York stores.

Mr Dobney said hot money was rare and represented a "tiny fraction" of the two billion notes in circulation. But he said: "Counterfeiting is a crime and no matter what the amount, somebody loses some money."

He advised retailers to check quality of paper, the metallic thread, the watermark and the print quality on all notes. Other tests for just £5, £10 and £20 notes include checking the hologram.

For more information on fake-spotting, phone the Bank of England on 0207 7601 4878.

The first meeting of its kind in York, the Association of Shopwatch Partnerships - North, Midlands, Scotland, also featured talks from police officers leading the fight against serious shop crime in York.

The conference was organised by three regional groups, including Retailers Against Crime in York (RACY).

Sergeant Rick Ball, of RACY, said the aim was to step up the battle against teams of professional shoplifters.

He said they swiped thousands of pounds of designer goods from shops they target. They operate across the UK, Sgt Ball said, relying on anonymity and local shop staff not knowing them.

Of 226 shoplifters arrested in York since March, 14 were from outside the area.

He said retailers, police and security staff were now working closer together to share database information on travelling teams - so they can be snared when they hit the city.

Spotting the fakes

Paper: Genuine notes are printed on a fine cotton weave which has a very different feel from ordinary paper.

Watermark: To check the watermark hold the paper up to the light. Real notes will have the watermark in the paper. Counterfeiters will print it on top.

Clarity of printing: Under close scrutiny the detail of fake notes will look messy and lack the detail that can be seen in real notes.

Hologram: Real notes will have a high quality hologram, but counterfeiters try to get round this by printing an ultra fine foil on to the note.

Coins: If you can scratch the surface and the gold colouring comes off easily then your coin is a fake and unfortunately worthless.

Updated: 08:54 Tuesday, June 28, 2005