Money advice leaves shopper seeing red

A pensioner tried to help the Red Cross by buying something from their shop.
Paper five pound notes are still legal tender in ScotlandPaper five pound notes are still legal tender in Scotland
Paper five pound notes are still legal tender in Scotland

But Franz Grimley was shocked when staff said they would not accept the five pound note he offered in payment – because it was a paper one issued by a Scottish bank!

Mr Grimley (69), from Cramond Court in Hallglen, popped into the charity shop in Stenhousemuir looking for a bargain.

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He said: “They told me their head office had told them not to accept any paper fivers. I was surprised and went round to the Royal Bank of Scotland and the lady there explained it was only English paper fivers that are no longer legal tender. She exchanged it for a plastic one and I went back to the Red Cross shop and left them in no doubt they could be breaking the law by refusing legal tender.

“I’ve experienced problems getting Scottish money to be accepted down south, but never thought for a minute the same thing would happen here.”

English paper five pound notes had legal tender status withdrawn on May 5 by the Bank of England who intend to do the same with their paper £10 notes in September.

Scottish paper five pound notes are not being withdrawn from circulation, but will not be re-issued and eventually replaced by plastic ones.

Nobody at the Red Cross HQ in London responded to a request for a comment.