Plastic £5 note featuring Winston Churchill which can survive a washing machine cycle is out
Bank of England releases 440million of the new polymer notes
A PLASTIC fiver featuring Sir Winston Churchill which can survive a spin in the washing machine has entered circulation.
The Bank of England has released 440million of the polymer £5 notes, which are expected to last around five years longer than paper ones.
Printed on them are the words: “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat,” from the World War Two PM’s maiden speech.
Governor Mark Carney said: “The new fiver commemorates one of the greatest statesmen of all time, Winston Churchill, who remarked that ‘a nation that forgets its past has no future’.
“Banknotes are repositories of the United Kingdom’s collective memory, and we will be reminded of Churchill’s enormous contributions as he once again becomes part of our daily lives as the new fiver flows out into tills and pockets.”
“The use of polymer means it can better withstand being repeatedly folded into wallets or scrunched up inside pockets and can also survive a spin in the washing machine.
“We expect polymer notes to last at least two and-a-half times longer than the current generation of fivers and therefore reduce future costs of production.
Anti-counterfeit measures include a window featuring the Queen.
Many cash machines are still being adapted to take them.
The old fiver ceases to become legal tender on May 5, 2017.