Tesco shopper thrown out for using £100 cash to pay £60 bill wins £5,000 compensation

A man who was thrown out of Tesco for using a rare form of payment to pay a £60 bill has received police compensation..

He faced police interrogation and was ejected by staff for his choice of payment.

Brett Chamberlain, 54, had filled up his tank at a Tesco station in Exeter in July last year and had used his £100 coin to pay the £60 bill.

But he was then kicked out by staff who accused him of making off without paying for the fuel.

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The carpenter, of Tiverton, Devon, used a Trafalgar Square special edition which is legal tender under a 1971 Act, with 45,000 such coins being minted in 2016.

He said he was interrogated by the police before he was released under investigation for using the coin.

Dad Brett was then sent a letter by the Devon and Cornwall Police force saying he would not be charged.

He launched legal action and has now received notice of compensation.

“They wanted to prosecute me for using Royal Mint coins,” he told the Sun.

“You couldn’t make it up. I was trying to spend money like any other citizen.

“I always use the coins to buy my fuel.

“Morrisons, Asda and Sainsbury’s have taken them but Tesco are always difficult.”

While legal tender can be used as a form of payment, shops and businesses are unlikely to accept them as large denomination coins are usually designed as as limited edition collectables or gifts.

Below is a list of the notes and coins that are legal tender for payment in the UK.

Notes

According to the Royal Mint website, in England and Wales the £5, £10, £20 and £50 notes are legal tender for payment of any amount.

It’s to be noted, however, that they are not legal tender in Scotland and Northern Ireland, says the Mirror.

Coins:

Coins are legal tender throughout the country for the following amount:

£100 – for any amount

£50 – for any amount

£20 – for any amount

£5 (Crown) – for any amount

£2 – for any amount

£1 – for any amount

50p – for any amount not exceeding £10

25p (Crown) – for any amount not exceeding £10

20p – for any amount not exceeding £10

10p – for any amount not exceeding £5

5p – for any amount not exceeding £5

2p – for any amount not exceeding 20p

1p – for any amount not exceeding 20p

Devon and Cornwall police said in a statement to the Mirror the force had “considered all the complaints raised and have taken steps to recognise and rectify the issues raised in this case.”

Tesco said in a statement: “Although commemorative coins are classified as legal tender, they are not considered to be circulating legal tender – which must be accepted in businesses and banks.

“For this reason, retailers are not obliged to accept them as a form of payment – it is at their discretion and our Tesco Exeter Vale store decided not to accept commemorative coins.”

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