Cops in Glasgow have arrested a pair who were leaving city boozers out of a pocket through allegedly using counterfeit notes.

Several pubs in Glasgow's West End and the city centre were targeted over the last few weeks, and police launched a probe to catch those responsible.

It is alleged that the pair, a 29-year-old man and a 31-year-old woman, were using fake £20 notes. They are expected to appear at Glasgow Sheriff Court following their arrest.

Fake cash leaves the pubs with the worthless currency and out of pocket after having given real cash back as change.

City centre Chief Inspector Brian Gibson urged pubs to be on the look out for counterfeit money.

He said: "Counterfeit money is without doubt a serious matter as it is often linked to serious and organised crime.

"It damages the local economy and under mines the national currency."

He added: "We monitor all reports and investigate appropriately, and if we see a trend emerging in the city we reinforce the ever constant messages about checking for counterfeit money."

The Royal Bank of Scotland's advice to businesses is to look for genuine security features to test if a note is real.

Genuine Scottish bank notes have a watermark that is hardly visible until it is held up to light.

A metallic thread is embedded in the paper of all bank notes and appears as silver dashes on the back of the note.

When held up to the light, the metallic thread appears as a continuous dark line.

Each note also has an individual serial number and fluorescent features, which show up only when they are exposed to ultraviolet light.

It is a criminal offence to hold or pass on a banknote that you know to be counterfeit.

If you believe you have been passed a counterfeit note, contact Police Scotland on 101.