Plastic banknotes are to be issued for the first time when the new £5 featuring Sir Winston Churchill appears in 2016.
A £10 note featuring Jane Austen to follow around a year later will also be made from polymer rather than the cotton paper currently used, the Bank of England said.
It follows a three-year research programme that concluded plastic notes stay cleaner for longer, are more difficult to counterfeit and are at least 2.5 times longer-lasting.
A public consultation, giving people the chance to handle the notes, found 87% of 13,000 individuals who responded were in favour of polymer.
A £10 note featuring Jane Austen to follow around a year later will also be made from polymer rather than the cotton paper currently used, the Bank of England said.
It follows a three-year research programme that concluded plastic notes stay cleaner for longer, are more difficult to counterfeit and are at least 2.5 times longer-lasting.
A public consultation, giving people the chance to handle the notes, found 87% of 13,000 individuals who responded were in favour of polymer.
