1.
MCU man paying coins into bank
0.03

2.
MV woman cashing cheque, followed by man
0.06

3.
CU Pound notes passed across counter by cashier
0.11

4.
CU "Till closed" sign put on counter
0.16

5.
MLV security vans driving out of yard (2 shots)
0.46

6.
MV exterior Martins Bank, doors being closed
0.56

7.
MCU girl operating adding machine (2 shots)
1.07

8.
CU cheques in tray
1.14

9.
CU girl operating accounting machine
1.18

10.
MCU man checking entries in book
1.23

11.
CU doors of security van
1.25

12.
MV man opening door in aircraft and extracting sacks
1.33

13.
CU sacks lifted and put in security van
1.47

14.
CU sack on floor of van
1.55

15.
MCU cab of security van with "Bankers Clearing House" sign
1.58

16.
MCU sacks put into van
2.02

17.
CU girl putting cheques into sorting machine
2.16

18.
CU machine sorting cheques (2 shots)
2.29

19.
MCU girl putting sorted cheques into tray.
2.35



Initials PS/1144 PS/12.30



Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: Britain's banks closed their doors yesterday, (Wednesday 10 February 1971) and launched a massive "Operation Checkpoint" to convert all their transactions to the new decimal currency. More than six million cheques from 14,500 banks were sent to London by the evening. Then computers worked through the night clearing the cheques. By this afternoon (Thursday) the cheques should be back at the local banks again and they can then go ahead converting their machines to decimals before re-opening to the public on Monday (February 15) -Decimal Day.

When Britain abandons her traditional currency she will move one step closer to the Europe she hopes to join. Decimalisation should help the Commonwealth; only the Irish Republic has a currency which is directly equal to the pound sterling so conversions have always been necessary between Britain and every other country. Britain's conversion to decimals means that almost all the world's major nations now have decimal currencies.