An Islander is trying to see how far his money will go.

Keen to find out how quickly his cash moved and where it went, Luke Hughes marked a £5 note in the hope he could follow its journey.

He spent the cash in Aldi, Sheerness, on Thursday, April 14.

The 26-year-old says the idea for the experiment came from his hobby of collecting coins.

He said: “When I started, it got me thinking about the way money moves, so I decided to see where mine would be in a year’s time.

“I know it’s a bit of a sad idea, but quite a lot of people are interested in the experiment and following it, too.

“Originally I was going to do it in London because of its size, but I decided to start small and see what happens locally.

“I am hoping it reaches Scotland this time next year, but I’m not sure if it’s even left the Island yet.”

Mr Hughes, of Invicta Road, Sheerness, signed his initials on the face of the note, alongside a reference to a Facebook page he set up.

Under the Currency and Banknotes Act 1928, it is illegal to write on banknotes and those who do risk being fined or imprisoned for up to five years.

In 1994, art pranksters K Foundation were fined £9,000, plus £500 reprint costs, for defacing £1 million of £50 notes by nailing them to an art gallery wall.

However, Aldi shop assistant Mr Hughes says he is not worried about being prosecuted for his stunt.

He said: “You see people in the bank write on them all the time – if it’s OK for them to do it, why can’t I for a silly little social experiment?

“No one has said anything to me about it yet and I’m not sure they will. Very few people pay much attention to the cash in their wallet these days. Hopefully what I’m doing might make them look a little closer at their money.”

Mr Hughes says he plans on releasing more marked notes to increase his chances of a response, adding: “I’d love to hear from anyone who finds it, even the money only makes it as far as Sittingbourne – that’d be a good start.

“All they need to do is go on the Facebook page written on the note, send me a pic of it and tell me where they found it.”

Follow the experiment on Facebook.