tim..... wrote
[...]
Which is itself a bigger problem as there would appear
to be no other way of getting them into circulation.

The BoE has loads of fivers, printed and ready to
ship, to replace all the tatty worn out notes that are
still circulated and the high street banks don't want
to take them.

If so it's because they too have no means of getting them into
circulation since they don't want to reload the ATMs aka hole in the
wall machines two or four times more often.

Why not cash a cheque over the bank counter and ask for new fivers ?

Because it would take ten minutes longer and eat into your lunch hour ?


--
Mike D