A cashless society is a great idea, but new data form Britain reveals that we’re a long way off cashless living.

According to The Independent newspaper, British shoppers spent £5bn ($10bn) more in notes and coins last year, challenging the long-held view that Britain is becoming a cashless society.

A survey suggests the value of cash as a proportion of total spending rose from 32 to 34 per cent, the first reversal of a two-decade trend.

It caused quite a stir at the Barclays bank branch in Enfield, north London. It was 1967 and actor Reg Varney, popular at the time in the hit TV sitcom On The Buses, opened the first hole in the wall cash machine.