Britain to have first plastic note in 2015

LONDON: Britain will have the first plastic banknotes next year when two million 5-pound notes will be issued by a Scottish bank.

Clydesdale Bank is authorised to issue Scottish banknotes, and will release the limited edition notes the year before the Bank of England puts plastic banknotes in general circulation, the BBC reported.

The new polymer note features the Forth Bridge on its 125th anniversary, the report said.

Banks say polymer notes stay cleaner and are more secure than current ones.

More than 20 countries around the world have adopted polymer banknotes.

In 1999, Northern Bank of Northern Ireland issued a polymer 5-pound commemorative note celebrating the year 2000.

A plastic note was introduced in the Isle of Man in 1983 but was withdrawn in 1988 owing to problems with the ink.

Adopters of the notes include Canada, whose last central bank governor - Mark Carney - is now the governor of the Bank of England.

Production of the new Forth Bridge banknote is scheduled to coincide with the 125th anniversary of the structure's opening in March 2015.

It also celebrates the bridge's nomination for the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2014.

With roots back to its establishment in Glasgow in 1838, Clydesdale Bank is now a member of National Australia Bank Group, which has over 7.7 million customers internationally.