A ONCE common sight south of the Border may be making a comeback - as one Post Office in England is refusing to accept “Scottish money”.
The local Post Office in the village of Headcorn, in Kent, has confirmed that it will not accept Scottish banknotes - although a reason why has not yet been forthcoming.
The National was made aware of the policy by local teacher David Mingay, who spotted a sign while visiting the village where he used to live.
Mingay - who is originally from Barrhead - sent in a photo of the sign, which reads: “We do not accept Scottish money.”
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He said: “It’s a village that I lived in for years and I went back there the other day and I saw the sign, but I didn’t actually speak to anybody about it.
“It’s something which I’ve not seen for a very long time - back in the 80s it was rife all over the place - so I was surprised to see it.
“It’s not something that Michael Gove would be happy to see if he’s trying to strengthen the Union.”
He added: “It doesn’t appear to be common, but I wonder if it will become more common.”
Scots have long had trouble getting their banknotes recognised south of the Border, with the response “It’s legal tender” having become something of a trope.
The Bank of England website says that this claim actually has no basis, and that legal tender “has a narrow technical meaning which has no use in everyday life”.
It goes on: “A shop owner can choose what payment they accept. If you want to pay for a pack of gum with a £50 note, it’s perfectly legal to turn you down. Likewise for all other banknotes, it’s a matter of discretion.”
The Headcorn Post Office said that their postmaster would be in touch to explain the policy.
A Post Office spokesperson said: "Our guidance to postmasters is to accept Scottish notes in all UK branches, but not to pass them on to other customers outside of Scotland.
"We apologise for any inconvenience caused by our branch in Kent not accepting Scottish notes and are in contact with the postmaster about this."
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