A businessman tore up and flushed a handful of 'fake' £20 notes down the toilet - only to later find they were real.
The man, who does not wish to be named, was among a number of businessman led to believe their cash was counterfeit on the Western Isles of Scotland.
It happened after bank staff became suspicious of £10 and £20 notes on the Isle of Lewis and a police inquiry was launched, reports STV.
The town's banks and many local shops stopped accepting £10 and £20 notes and purchased ultra-violet scanners in a bid to catch the counterfeit notes.
But the 'fake' notes have since been scrutinised by experts from the Serious Organised Crime Agency who pronounced them all absolutely genuine.
The businessman complained: "This is a right mess and it was caused by the RBS and Bank of Scotland.
"I tore up the £20 notes returned to me by the bank as fakes and I put them down the toilet to stop them getting back into circulation.
"I thought that was my public duty. How do I prove that and who is going to compensate me?"
A Bank of Scotland spokesman said: "We found what we thought were inconsistencies with some banknotes and as a precaution we set these notes aside so they were no longer in circulation."
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