JD WETHERSPOONS has banned legal tender £20 notes across English pubs, leaving punters fuming.
Bosses at the pub chain have ordered staff to stop accepting Scottish £20 and £50 notes, with some customers being refused service when they tried to pay with currency.
1
Wetherspoons said the decision to no longer accept the legal tender was made after a warning by the Bank of England about fake Scottish notes being circulated by crime gangs.
The rule does not apply in Scotland and cities with “close links” to the country, the company added.
One pensioner claims he only found out about the rule after he was refused service in two of the chain’s Newcastle pubs when he tried to pay in cash.
Craig Neil, 72, of Troon, Ayrshire, said he was refused service in the city’s Mile Castle pub, before facing the same issue just hours later at the nearby Keel Row bar.
He told The Scottish Sun: “It seems they are not accepting them in any Wetherspoons in England. No explanation was given.
“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.
“People round about will have been saying, ‘That guy’s barred from the pub.’ It was very embarrassing.
“The manager took the pint off me. I just got up and left. I was angry. I’d handed over legal tender.”
A spokesperson for Wetherspoons apologised for the impact the policy was having on customers.
They 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.”
Seperately, Wetherspoons confirmed last month that it would be bringing back a hugely popular item to its menus.
The pub chain removed the option to have tuna on its jacket potatoes, until Adam Gale, a regular at The Rodboro Buildings in Guildford, wrote a letter to the brand’s founder Sir Tim Martin.
He wrote: “I love visiting Wetherspoons pubs across the country. Yet I am disappointed to see, at my local Wetherspoon in Guildford, that the tuna filling is no longer available for the wonderful jacket potato menu option.
“Your other fillings, 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?”
Sir Tim Martin responded personally, revealing that he also loved tuna on his jacket potatoes.
He 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 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.”
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.
Plus, you can join our Sun Money Chats and Tips Facebook group to share your tips and stories
