Britain's first plastic banknotes are set to enter circulation in March 2015

Scottish Secretary of State Alistair Carmichael, Cabinet Secretary for Culture Fiona Hyslop (centre), and Clydesdale Bank executive director Debbie Crosbie

Britain's first plastic banknotes are set to enter circulation in March 2015 to mark the 125th anniversary of the Forth Bridge, it has been announced.

Two million of the £5 notes will be released by Clydesdale Bank to coincide with the anniversary of the opening of the rail bridge in east Scotland in 1890. 

They will be introduced in Scotland ahead of England, where the Bank of England plans to issue them for the first time in 2016.

The Bank of England announced that it plans to issue plastic banknotes for the first time from 2016, when a new £5 note featuring Sir Winston Churchill will appear.

The Clydesdale Bank note, which is smaller than the existing currency, also celebrates the nomination of the Forth Bridge for inclusion in Unesco’s World Heritage List in 2014.

It features the image of Sir William Arrol, one of Scotland’s most celebrated engineers, whose company constructed the Forth Bridge, which connects Edinburgh with Fife.

The polymer notes are claimed to be more durable than existing currency - and also apparently stay cleaner for longer, are more difficult to counterfeit and are at least 2.5 times longer-lasting.