Is plastic currency more or less hygienic than its paper equivalent?

PETER WALTON, LANCASHIRE

A 2013 study (published before the UK switched to plastic banknotes) found that the polymer currency used in Romania allowed MRSA superbugs to survive for 24 hours, compared with just three hours for paper notes. But subsequent studies on the new polymer £5 note have found that harmful germs are much less likely to stick to the plastic in the first place.