The melting £5 note

With the advent of polymer £5 Bank of England notes (below), reported in last week’s Mail on Sunday, people should take care for two reasons. First there is the sad tale of the Canadian lumberjack who put a wad of polymer notes in the back pocket of his jeans. As it was freezing cold, he parked his backside on a very hot radiator, thereby creating a worthless gooey mass of polymer. Secondly, Canadians have told me that the notes stick together more easily than paper notes.

On the plus side, they should last longer and be far less tatty than many of the current £5 notes.

Graham Branston, Leeds