A mystery money-man showed shoppers a new definition for a bunch of fives in Keighley this week.

Reports came flooding in to the Keighley News on Tuesday of a man stopping people in the town centre and thrusting £5 notes into their hands.

The generous gent was described as about 35 years old, 5ft 10in tall, with dark skin, close cropped hair and smart but sporty casual clothes.

Keighley College students Sam Martin, Amber O'Sullivan, Sarah Townson, Briony Manning and their friend William Garnett were the first to contact the newspaper.

William, 17, said: "I was in town and I saw a man give a woman a fiver. Then he pulled a wad of notes out of his trousers -- he gave me £15."

Amber, 16, asked the man if he was rich.

She said: "He took a benefit book from his pocket and said: "Do I look rich?"

"I said to him 'I don't understand why you are doing this'. He said: 'I have either made or got more money than sense'. I said I didn't want it but he said 'no take it'."

Sam added: "We were shocked. We got told he had been going around all morning.

Briony said: "He must have had at least £1,000. He was giving it to everyone."

Sales executives Tara Stolworthy and Wendy Edgar were in the Airedale Centre at lunch time.

Tara, 32, said: "A man came up to us asked if we believed in God. It was a bit strange and I was unsure what to say but before I could do anything he had shoved £5 in my hand.

"I didn't know whether to take it or not and he said 'go on take it, take it it's real, I've already given out £500 today'."

"Before we had time to think he was giving money to someone else."

Brian Harper and Lesley Howard from KL Tackle, a fishing shop in North Street, Keighley, also received a visit. Brian said: "He came in the shop and said I'm giving money away. He gave us a fiver apiece and said that's from Jesus."

Lesley added: "When he left he slung about 30 quid out of the window and drove off. He had a fist full of fivers."

Another witness said the man was being followed by a nurse who was asking for the money back.

At one point the man returned to a cash machine to get out more money.