A NEW batch of Lewes pound notes has entered circulation.

The town hit the headlines when it introduced its own currency last year.

The scheme aims to encourage spending in the area and has proved such a success that more notes have had to be ordered.

The £1, £5, £10 and £21 notes arrived on Friday. Five pence of every Lewes pound spent goes to the Live Lewes Fund to help good causes in the area. In the case of a £20 transaction this adds up to £1 – hence the £21 note.

Oliver Dudok van Heel of the Lewes Pound Group said: “The response to the trial has been overwhelming.

There is clearly an appetite within Lewes to extend the scheme and ensure Lewes is a thriving and sustainable community.”