Iceland Clapham

Paper £10 notes will continue to be accepted at Iceland until 2 April, the supermarket has announced.

The paper notes cease to be legal tender as of 11.59pm today (1 March), replaced by the polymer note introduced in September last year, but Iceland is to continue accepting them until close of business on Easter Monday.

The discounter said it would accept them in both Iceland and The Food Warehouse stores throughout the UK, along with £5 paper Scottish notes, also no longer legal tender as of the end of today. Bank of England paper £5 notes ceased to be legal tender in May last year.

The paper notes will be accepted at manned checkouts but not self-service ones ‘for technical reasons’, Iceland said.

Consumers left with the notes might otherwise have to exchange them at a bank, building society or Post Office, where they may need to hold an account.

Iceland group managing director Tarsem Dhaliwal said: “With the Bank of England estimating that there are still more than £2bn worth of their old £10 notes in circulation, we are keen to help our customers by allowing them to spend these notes in our stores rather than having to exchange them at a bank. That is why we are giving everyone an extra month to track down their old tenners and bring them to Iceland to experience our amazing range, quality and value.”

Iceland made a similar concession when the old, round £1 coin was withdrawn on 15 October last year, agreeing to accept them initially until 31 October and then extending the offer until 31 December.

Dhaliwal said: “We try to do everything we can to make life easier for our customers, and we know that many of them appreciated the opportunity we gave them to spend their old ‘round pound’ coins after they were withdrawn from circulation last year.”