An air rifle was stolen from a home in Murston when a man reportedly posed as a buyer and paid for it in fake £20 notes.

The bogus exchange happened Wednesday night at 7.30pm in Oak Road after Leah Lane advertised her Daystate Huntsman Regal rifle with Hugget shroud and silencer on guntrader.uk.

The man is said to have come to the door but declined to enter the house when invited inside.

Instead he said he was willing to buy the rifle and asked Leah’s boyfriend, Adam Outram, to come to his light blue Ford Focus to get the money.

Once the cash was handed over, the car is said to have sped off and after Adam went inside it was discovered the notes were fake.

Adam’s mother Kay Outram said: “It was obviously planned. He didn’t want to come inside. He was a bit sheepish and it was only after they brought the gun down he said he wanted to do it in the car so my son couldn’t see it was a handful of fake money.”

The Ford Focus’ registration is thought to be fake and the suspected con artist's telephone was switched off once he was gone.

The air rifle had only been fired a few times at a target range and cost £1,000.

The owner thought she was selling the weapon for £600 and wanted to do so to pay for driving lessons.

Mrs Outram said the man who allegedly handed over the fake money was dressed “quite smartly” in a tweed jacket and cap.

“He was the typical sort of person you would expect to be on rifle range,” she said.

A Kent Police spokesman said inquiries into the incident are ongoing.

Anyone with any information is asked to call police on 101, quoting crime reference 03-1087.