BLACKBURN shoppers are to be given the chance to spend foreign currency in a local high street store alongside the traditional pound. Department store Marks and Spencer, who have a branch on King William Street, Blackburn, are planning a £10 million trade-in of their old tills for a new, computerised, system which will accept all major foreign currencies and, eventually, the single European currency - the euro.

The new system could lead the bizarre scenario inside stores, with a queue of people each paying in a different currency, including the French franc, Italian lira, Spanish peseta and German mark

A spokeswoman for the firm, which employs 57,000 staff in the UK and dozens in this area, said the Blackburn store would be "one of the earlier stores to convert" to the new technology, possibly as early as January next year. She said: "We are converting tills in our 300 stores because the existing ones are old. The new tills will handle all currencies including the euro, in addition to standard sterling.

"Stores will carry guides which will say how much £5 is worth in foreign money. By the end of 1999, all our stores will have the new tills.

"Computer software will be installed by the end of next year to make sure we can operate a dual currency system, with the ultimate aim of switching over entirely to the euro.

The M&S spokeswoman added: "Although we cannot pinpoint a time when individual stores will convert to the tills, it is probable that stores in Lancashire will convert very early on next year. At the same time, there will be large-scale staff training."

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