Heard the one about the Englishman, the Welsh pub and a Scottish fiver?

Well, it was no joke for Graham Sales when his note was rejected by a bus driver as he tried to board outside the Welsh Tavern in Stone.

The taxi driver was attempting to get home to Northfleet after dropping his car off for repairs at St Johns Road Garage.

He hopped aboard and handed over the £5 Scottish note, only to be told by the driver she would not accept it.

The 47-year-old said: "The bus driver said she knew it was legal tender, but couldn't accept it.

"She said 'I'm not moving' and I said 'well, I'm not going anywhere'."

The father-of-two said the driver turned the engine off and phoned the depot.

Bosses agreed to her issuing a ticket for £2 rather than the fare of about £3.50 as that was all he had in change.

"I felt disgusted and embarrassed. If I hadn't had any change on me, it would have been a five-mile walk and taken me hours..." - bus passenger Graham Sales

He said: "I felt disgusted and embarrassed. If I hadn't had any change on me, it would have been a five-mile walk and taken me hours.

"I showed I was willing to pay and she took all my remaining change. It was all the money I had on me.

"It is legal tender and I am a taxi driver and I have to take it."

Once Mr Sales got off the bus, he spoke to a senior member of staff at the depot who confirmed the ticket machine did not have the facilities to recognise the currency - but agreed the bus driver should have accepted it.

Mr Sales now plans to make the bus journey back to Stone to collect his car and will be using the £5 note as a point of principle.

Arriva spokesman Linsey Frostick apologised, saying: "We do accept Scottish banknotes and on this occasion the driver was mistaken.

"The details have been passed to the depot manager so the driver can be made aware of their mistake."

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