And Finally... Five quid note set to return to cashpoints

By James Shepherd on Dec 7, 09 12:30 PM in News

The £5 note could return to ATMs after the Bank of England yesterday launched a campaign for their greater use.

Chiefs want High Street banks and stores to give out more of them after tests by HSBC and Sainsbury's showed a huge demand for them.

Bank of England executive director Andrew Bailey told a Washington conference there was now convincing evidence to "press the case for raising the dispense of £5s".

He added: "In the New Year I hope and expect we will take these examples to other financial institutions and retailers to make the case for a change of policy towards issuing £5s.

"There is a good deal of aversion among the commercial sector to change in this area.

"Yet our evidence suggests that the public wants more of them and of a better quality."

A Sainsbury's pilot found that using fivers shortened till queues.

There are £1.3billion of the notes currently in circulation - up a third in the past two years.

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