A PRINTER who used his business to make hundreds of thousands of pounds of fake £5 notes has been sentenced to six years in prison.

Anthony Flynn, 54, of Rosebank, Ramsbottom, was found guilty in February at Manchester's Minshull Street Crown Court of four charges relating to producing counterfeit notes.

He had admitted producing a quarter of a million pounds' worth of notes, which police described as 'almost perfect,' from his printing firm, Calder Press, in Chadderton, Oldham.

But he had denied the charges, claiming he had been forced to make the notes by an underworld 'Mr Big.'

Recorder David Turner QC, sentenced him to six years for the four counterfeiting charges and on two charges -- which he had admitted -- of applying for a false trademark for Calvin Klein products.

The judge said Flynn, who had built up his printing firm from scratch, had 'prostituted' his training as a printer. He said because of Flynn's trade the forgeries were of sufficiently high quality to be accepted by high street banks. The court heard that Flynn, who made a living out of producing bus timetables but spent weekends forging the notes, was caught after a surveillance operation last May.

His business premises were raided and various counterfeiting equipment, including a silver foil block for making the dotted line which runs down the notes, were seized.

Mr Mark Monoghan, prosecuting, said 1,000 Calvin Klein boxes for fake perfume were also discovered.

Flynn, who drove a Mercedes and had a five-bedroomed house, admitted making notes with a face value of a quarter of a million pounds, but said he was forced to do so by another man who has never been charged.

Police believe fake money with a face value of up to £1 million may be in circulation. The Bank of England has now identified notes with a face value of £90,000.

Anthony Callaway, defending, said Flynn was of previous good character and there was 'precious little evidence' of him working as part of a larger crime network.

He asked for a light sentence, telling the court "the defendant comes out to a shattered business which no longer exists, and a shattered life."

There was no way of knowing how much fake money produced by Flynn was in circulation.

A hearing was set for July 21 to consider whether Flynn should be stripped of assets worth £90,000.