THE secretary of a railway club in the Vale must be wondering what is next heading his way following two spates of recent bad luck; first with an unruly squirrel and latterly with fake bank notes from across the border.

Almost three weeks ago the reckless rodent was the subject of a lone lock-in at Honeybourne Railway Club where it ran riot and caused £300 of damage knocking glasses and bottles off shelves. The grey squirrel had even managed to turn on a beer tap.

The following morning club secretary Sam Boulter was presented with so much carnage when he opened the club he initially thought burglars had been in.

Fortunately he managed to catch the 'slightly sluggish' visitor in a waste paper basket and set it free - after issuing it with a life-time ban from the bar.

Then this week, Mr Boulter was horrified to learn that part of his takings for last week included counterfeit Scottish currency.

"I took seven days' takings to the bank and they told me a £20 Royal Bank of Scotland note was fake. The bank kept the note to keep it out of circulation but it meant we have lost that money. I just want to warn people and businesses around here that fake Scottish notes are around and to watch out for them," he said.

The fake notes are slightly paler in colour than their Scottish counterparts and are slightly smaller because there is no white border at the bottom.

"You don't see many Scottish notes around here so we had nothing to compare it to and had no idea it wasn't real until the bank pointed it out. I have reported the find to the police," Mr Boulter added.

The club hosts charity events on a regular basis to raise money for local good causes. Last week's prize bingo raised £102 for Outside Youth Association, based in Evesham. The next event is a prize bingo in aid of Evesham Domino League on August 15.