Merseytravel launches investigation after Birkenhead and Wallasey tunnels are hit by £86,000 fake coin scam

Sep 23 2009 by Lorna Hughes, Birkenhead News

THE Mersey tunnels have been hit by a £86,000 fake coin scam.

Tunnels operator Merseytravel has launched an investigation after a mountain of bogus £1 pieces were found in the cash collection system.

It is suspected some drivers have been fleecing both the Birkenhead and Wallasey tunnels for the last six months.

The counterfeit coins are very hard to detect, particularly when produced to the same size and weight as genuine coins.

Merseytravel bosses said the problem was a nationwide issue and have vowed to catch the perpetrators and put in place strict measures to catch those responsible.

The haul of phoney coins was first spotted when sophisticated electronic equipment, in a secure storeroom, flagged up that they were not authentic.

Reports last year suggested that the number of fake £1s has doubled in the last five years, and stands at around 30m.

One in every 50 pound coins are thought to be bogus.

Ways to spot a fake include indistinct lettering, wrong typefaces, the Queen’s head the wrong way round, and discolouring.