And finally…man whose Scottish tenner was rejected claimed he was victim of hate crime

On returning form their visit to relatives in St Andrews, Patrick Burgess was with son Daniel, 12, as he attempted to deposit the Scottish note at a Post Office branch in Kent.

But the pair were turned him away, so a furious Mr Burgess contacted the police, claiming he had been the victim of a hate crime.

Speaking to KentOnline, Mr Burgess said: “I asked if they would accept Euros, American or Australian Dollars. The cashier replied that they would. ‘I confirmed with her that the only notes they would not take were Scottish or Irish, to which she replied, ‘yes’. In my opinion it’s racist and it is a hate crime.”

Kent police confirmed they had conducted initial inquiries into the incident.

The Bank of England website states: “Seven banks in Scotland and Northern Ireland are authorised to issue banknotes.

“These notes make up the majority of banknotes in Scotland and Northern Ireland and legislation is in place to ensure that noteholders have a similar level of protection as they would for Bank of England notes.

“Despite this, Scottish and Northern Ireland banknotes are not classified as legal tender anywhere in the UK. Equally, Bank of England notes are not legal tender in Scotland and Northern Ireland.”

After facing criticism for contacting police, Mr Burgess said he has changed his mind and has put the incident down to ignorance.

Another post office accepted the note but police confirmed they received a report about the incident which took place on Thursday, November 22, and officers are conducting initial inquiries into the incident.