A 17-YEAR-OLD has been arrested for using fake money in shops in and around Salisbury.

On Wednesday Wiltshire Police received a number of reports from businesses in Salisbury and Warminster, concerning a man entering shops and attempting to use counterfeit £50 notes.

Officers in Warminster conducted a search of the town centre and found a male matching the description passed by store owners.

The 17-year-old was taken to Melksham custody for further questioning and has since been released under investigation.

Inspector Gill Hughes said: “This was excellent work by the officers involved in locating an individual and making an arrest swiftly. I’d also like to thank the local businesses who reported information to us which enabled us to take action – I hope this shows how important it is to report concerns regarding activity of this nature as we will always do all that we can to identify those responsible.

“This kind of activity can really impact on businesses – in particular, small independent businesses within our communities.

“With incidents of this nature, there are a number of longer term enquiries which need to be conducted alongside partner agencies and these will be completed as soon as possible.”