After concerns were raised about the fate of 2p pushers and arcades, Downing Street has confirmed that there are currently no plans to abolish 2p or 1p coins.
A paper published by the Treasury on Tuesday has suggested that consumers do not use copper coins or £50 notes as often as they used to. The Treasury have asked for views on the use of cash as digital transactions become increasingly popular across a number of industries.
The proposed scheme to scrap coppers threatened amusement income and charity donations, with 2p coin pusher machines being particularly affected. The machines will need to swap to tokens, higher value coins, or be replaced outright.
“It would affect us massively,” said Tony Lavett, co-manager at The South Pier Family Entertainment Centre. “Children like playing on the 2p pushers. This is a big arcade, we have 12 pushers and they are big business for us.”