A charity has warned others to be vigilant after a crook pocketed £47 from one of its shops by paying with a fake £50 note.
He bought a £3 item from a volunteer at the Iain Rennie Hospice Shop in Henry Wells Square, Grovehill – and left before staff realised what he had done.
The charity’s director of retail and trading Lesley Blencowe said: “We are really disappointed that someone would come into one of our shops and take advantage of us and our volunteers in this way.
“This attempt was clearly orchestrated and was most definitely not an accident and I’d like to warn other shops in the area in case this individual attempts to do this again.
“The £50 we have lost as a result of this man could have funded 21/2 hours of specialist nursing care.”
The thief struck late last month, but Mrs Blencowe said he has not dampened the charity’s faith in the ‘generous’ spirit of most people.