TWO politicians, planning to head for Amsterdam on New Year's Day in an attempt to be the first to bring the euro back to the UK, vowed to go ahead yesterday even though some of the new currency has already arrived in the north-east.

As reported in the Northern Echo, Durham North MP Kevan Jones and MEP Barbara O'Toole are planning a trip to collect new coins before they are available from bureaux de change in Britain.

But, when North Yorkshireman Thomas Wilkinson read the article, he contacted us to say he already has some of the currency.

"I have property in Spain so I qualify as a part-time resident," he said. "I was over there the other week and, as the banks were offering packs of the new coinage to anyone with residency status, I went to collect mine."

Mr Wilkinson, of Skeeby, said he would be keeping some as a souvenir of the day the currency was introduced on the continent.

Mr Jones said: "The coins have been available since December, so it is not all that surprising some are already in Britain.

"But, we hope we will be among the first spending the euro notes, highlighting the introduction of the new currency."