On September 13th a new £5 note will enter circulation and it will be made of a thin flexible plastic called polymer. The note will be slightly smaller than the current note but will last 2.5 times longer than the paper version and then will be recycled. It has better security features to prevent counterfeiting and is cleaner and more resistant to dirt and moisture.
Several countries already have these polymer notes including Australia, New Zealand and Canada. My son in law, who is Canadian, assures me that these types of notes can survive being put in a washing machine!
In May 2017 paper £5 notes will cease to be legal tender.
The polymer £10 will come into circulation in Summer 2017 with the £20 note following by 2020.
It will take a few weeks for them to spread across the country but now you will know what to expect.
Barbara Breakwell