Has it ever happened to you? Have you ever put your trousers in the washing machine and
then remembered there was a large bank note in your back pocket? When you rescued your
trousers, did you find the note was whiter than white? People who lived in Britain needn’t
despair when they make mistakes like this (and a lot of people do)! Fortunately for them,
the Bank of England has a team called Mutilated Ladies which deals with claims from people
who fed their money to a machine or to their dog. Dogs, it seems, love to chew up money!
A recent case concerns Jane Butlin whose fiancé, John, runs a successful furniture
business. John had a very good day and put his wallet containing 3,000 pound into the
microwave oven for safekeeping. Then he and Jane went horse-riding. When they got home,
Jane cooked their dinner in the microwave oven and without realizing it, cooked her
fiancé’s wallet as well. Imagine their dismay when they found a beautifully-cooked wallet
and notes turned to ash! John went to see his bank manager who sent the remains of wallet
and the money to the special department of the Bank of England in Newcastle: the Mutilated
Ladies! They examined the remains and John got his money back. ‘So long as there’s
something to identify, we will give people their money back,’ said a spokeswoman for the
Bank. ‘Last year, we paid 1.5 million pound on 21,000 claims.’ Damaged bank notes. The
Queen’s head appears on the English bank notes, and ‘lady’ refers to this.