Time to change for the better

WOMEN have £15 worth of loose coins lurking around the house, the car and their handbag, according to the firm whose machines convert small change into coins of larger denominations.

Alex Camara, managing director of Coinstar, said: "Our customers are always shocked at just how much spare change they have accumulated and I think the depths of a woman's handbag is the perfect place to start looking."

Coinstar charges 8p for every £1 worth of loose change converted into larger denominations.

The Royal Mint estimates there are £380 million in lost coins in the UK, and that half of the country's 22 billion coins are out of circulation.