7. Mutilated ladies

Has it ever happened to you? Have you ever put your trousers in the washing machine and then remebered there was a large bank note in your back pocket? When you rescued your trousers, did you find that the note was whiter than white? People who live in Britain needn't despair if they make mistakes like this (and a lot of people do!). Fortunately for them, the Bank of England has a team called Mutilated Ladies 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 fiance, John, runs a successful furniture business. John had a very good day and put his wallet contains £3,000 in 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 fiance'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 all his money back. 'So long as there is something to identify, we will give people their money back.' said the spokeswoman for the bank. 'Last year, we paid £1.5m on 21,000 claims. '