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    Police have warned shoppers to lookout for counterfeit versions of the polymer £5 note just six months after the new fivers entered circulation. Officers warned the public to be on the lookout for fake banknotes after they were spotted in Wadebridge, Cornwall. Dorset Police had issued a similar warning in February saying counterfeit notes were found in circulation near Poole. The new warning comes just six months after the new £5 note was launched by the Bank of England. It is stronger than its predecessor and boasts new security features which the Bank of England said makes it harder to counterfeit. PCSO Pete Sobye, of Wadebridge police, said: "If you find yourself in possession of a fake £5 note, contact your bank. Or if you have been given a number of these as payment, ...

    Wage growth has slipped below the rate of inflation, a development that threatens damage to living standards and the wider economy through an erosion of household spending power. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported that average wages, when the effects of bonuses were excluded, grew by 2.2% in the three months to February. While that was slightly better than economists had predicted, it still marked a 0.1% fall on the previous month's figure, which meant salaries failed to keep pace with the rate of inflation for the first time since the summer of 2014. The Consumer Price Index measure stood at 2.3% in February and remained steady in figures for the following month, released on Tuesday. The development adds further pressure to family budgets already being sque...