Suspect euro notes not forgeries, says Garda

Euro banknotes suspected of being fakes by Co Cavan retailers were last night confirmed as genuine by the Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation and the Central Bank.

Four suspect notes - two €5 and two €10 - were brought to Bailieboro Garda station by four business people in the town yesterday.

A Central Bank spokesman confirmed the notes were genuine after "rudimentary tests" last night.

"What appears to have happened is that these notes were dropped or got wet. That seems to have been what caused suspicions," he said.

Sgt Philip Fyfe said the notes were tendered in a pub, a drapery store, a hardware store and a sweetshop on Thursday. He said the notes were crumpled as if they had been in circulation for a number of years. "They looked very rough for notes that had been in circulation for three days," he said.

Three of the notes were examined by staff at the local Bank of Ireland branch, who "weren't happy with them", according to Sgt Fyfe. They were then sent to Garda Headquarters in Dublin for examination by officers from the Bureau of Fraud Investigation. A fourth suspect note was handed in to the Garda station in the afternoon.

Publican Michael Hynes, of Kangley's Pub in the town's Main Street, said a €5 banknote in his previous night's takings felt "crinkly, as if someone had put it through the wash."

A suspect euro note discovered in Co Kildare earlier this week was confirmed as a counterfeit. A Garda investigation was launched after a forged €10 note was used in a sub-post office in Straffan, Co Kildare. It was discovered as employees sorted through Wednesday's takings. The forgery was of poor quality and may have been a colour photocopy.

The chairman of the Euro Changeover Board of Ireland, Mr Philp Hamell, said the forgery was a cause for concern."So many people now have true notes that they should take time to familiarise themselves with the appearance of euro notes and coins and keep an eye out for anybody trying to pass off a forgery," he said.