IF YOU have any old £10 notes then time is running out for you to spend them.

The deadline for spending the old note, which featured the image of Charles Darwin, is today, March 1, as they will cease to be legal tender.

After that date shops can refuse to accept the old notes, but you will be able to exchange them at banks, building societies and at post offices.

The Bank of England is legally obliged to accept the notes after the deadline, and this can be done in person or by post.

The new plastic £10 note featuring Jane Austen came into circulation on September 14, 2017 .

The new notes are said to be cleaner because they are resistant to dirt and moisture, more secure and harder to counterfeit and can withstand more wear and tear than their paper notes.

A new £20 note, featuring the artist J.M.W Turner, will be launched in 2020.

For more information about the new notes and the deadline visit bankofengland.co.uk/banknotes.