A shopkeeper has issued a warning after he was handed fake £2 coins.

He was said the young man came into the Premier Store based on Lyndhurst Road in Burnley last week.

The shopkeeper named 'Ali' runs the shop and said the shopper wanted change for £60 because ‘he had sold his PlayStation’.

Ali told us: “We thought a little strange at the time as that is a lot of money to be wanting to change.

“He gave us ten £2 coins and we started counting them. They just did not seem right.

“But then I think he then panicked and left the store with the rest of the coins without taking any money off us.

“He could be more than 17 to 18 years of age.”

Ali said they followed him outside and he and another accomplice who was believed to be in a nearby chippy sped off in a car.

“When we checked the coins properly you could tell something was not right about the weight. They were also sharper in design and the colour wasn’t right.

“If you look at them though they seem really genuine and I am sure they must have fooled people already.”

The incident happened on Wednesday December 16 and Ali said they did call the police.

“Nobody has got back to us at the moment.”

Experts say one of the easiest ways to spot a fake £2 is the edge of the coin. Genuine £2 coins for the UK mainland should have an inscription on the edge of the coin.

Real £2 coins are also never magnetic as fakes contain iron and steel rather than the copper, zinc and nickel used by the Royal Mint.

Police were contacted for comment.