Royal Mint to stop making new 2p and £2 coins for at least 10 years

mirror.co.uk:

The Royal Mint has no plans to make new 2p or £2 coins for the next 10 years due to an abundance of them in circulation. It comes as a new report shows the coins were used in less than three in 10 transactions last year, compared to six in 10 a decade ago.

The National Audit Office (NAO) which carried out the report, said the coronavirus outbreak may have accelerated the trend as customers were encouraged to pay contact-free.

Coin-making has been slashed 65% by The Royal Mint but stocks of every coin in circulation are exceeding its targets. It is now sitting on 26 times more £2 coins than the public need.

A spokeswoman for The Royal Mint said 2p and £2 coin production could return if needed. However, it said pennies are still in