UK cop paid €90 for duty-free designer watch he never wanted

A BRITISH police officer has returned from a holiday in Spain to find he unwittingly bought a €90 watch in Alicante airport’s duty-free shop.

The officer, from Doncaster, purchased several items but not the Swatch watch. He only realised when he looked at the receipt upon arriving home.

“I did not look at any Swatch watches, never mind putting one through the check-out, so I was shocked and surprised to see one detailed on my till receipt,” he said.

The man, who has served in the police force for 18 years, immediately phoned Barclaycard and was assured the matter would be dealt with. However, he then received a letter explaining that the airport had reviewed the case and decided the watch had been legitimately purchased.

A Barclaycard spokesman said: “It appeared that the goods had been supplied at the point of sale and the transaction was chip and pin verified. The responsibility at this point does fall to the customer to check their bill and the goods received at point of sale.”

There have been cases across southern Spain of shops adding an item to a customer’s bill to cover up a previous theft. However, there is no evidence to suggest this incident was a deliberate scam.