Wetherspoon bans some £20 and £50 notes across hundreds of pubs
One pensioner claims he was left embarrassed after trying to pay in cash in two Wetherspoon pubs in Newcastle
Wetherspoon has banned Scottish £20 and £50 notes across its English pubs - with some customers being refused service as a result.
One pensioner claims he was left embarrassed after trying to pay in cash in two Newcastle pubs. Craig Neil, 72, of Troon, Ayrshire, had visited the Mile Castle pub and nearby Keel Row bar.
He told The Scottish Sun: “They poured a pint of Carling and I handed over a £20 note. They told me they don’t accept Scottish money.
“I’ve been going to Newcastle for 70 years and never in my life have I had my money rejected. The pint was in front of me and I’d had a couple of sips. Then they said they wouldn’t accept my cash.“
Wetherspoon said the decision was made following a warning from the Bank of England about fake Scottish notes being used by criminal gangs.
A spokesperson added that the ban, which was introduced in November last year, does not apply in Scotland and certain towns and cities with close links to Scotland.
A spokesperson for Wetherspoon said: “We were notified by the Bank of England last October that a large number of fake Scottish £20 notes were being put into circulation by organised crime gangs.
"Advice was given as to how to identify them — but with a warning not to accept if in doubt. This warning, coupled with an increase in the receipt of fake notes by pubs, led to a decision in late November last year not to accept Scottish £20 notes.
“This does not apply in Scotland and certain towns and cities with close links to Scotland. Scottish £50 notes are not accepted for the same reason. We will continue to keep the decision under review.”
It comes after Tim Martin, the boss of Wetherspoon, reinstated a menu item after a customer complained about its disappearance. Wetherspoon fan Adam Gale was gutted when he discovered his local pub had axed tuna jacket potato from the menu.
Other toppings, including beans and cheese, were still available, he noted in a letter sent directly to Tim Martin. Mr Gale, of Cranleigh, said: “I love visiting Wetherspoons pubs across the country.
“Yet I am disappointed to see, at my local Wetherspoon in Guildford - The Rodboro Buildings - that the tuna filling is no longer available for the wonderful jacket potato menu option.
“Your other filling options, such as cheese and baked beans, are lovely. But the tuna one was so nice. Can we please have the tuna filling back on the Guildford menu?”
In response to the letter, Mr Martin said: “For several decades, I was a tuna-and-jacket-potato guy. But I switched to a chicken wrap and salad for lunch a few years back. So, I hadn't noticed that the tuna had vamoosed.
“No sooner is my back turned. Seriously, though, as we speak, tuna has been reinstated. Your wish is my command, as they say.”
