Last year, 23.1 million consumers in the UK either used no notes or coins, or used them only about once a month.

That was up sharply on the 13.7 million consumers the previous year who did not use cash. 

Experts at banking body UK Finance said they predict cash payments will continue to fall, and that by 2031, notes and coins would only account for about 6pc of all payments.

But despite this, local business owners said they would not be moving to a cashless model anytime soon.

READ MORE: Half of Norwich car park machines going contactless

Wymondham’s Lemon Tree Café Bar owner Aideen Summers said they would never go cashless (Image: News Quest)

Aideen Summers, who owns The Lemon Tree Café Bar in Wymondham, said going cashless would alienate a large proportion of customers.

She said: “People have gone back to using cash more and more. I think people can budget better when they’re using cash.

“The elderly customers like it as not all use modern methods of payment.

“But we want to make sure we cater for everyone.”

Jona Conway, who owns Secret Paradise Cafe in Norwich, said he would also never go cashless, but that paper money created extra work for the business.

Coffee cart Secret Paradise Café still accepts cash payments, despite it being a hassle (Image: Secret Paradise Café)

He said: “I accept cash and always will. However, it adds a whole other dimension of hassle to an otherwise effortless transaction.

“I often feel I should charge more to accept cash – although obviously I couldn’t do this in reality – as to pay the bills I need to count the money and take it to a bank to pay it in.

“Gone are the days of a shoebox under the bed full of undeclared cash.

“Fees for the card machines are so tiny these days they are dwarfed by the extra business taking card generates.”

READ MORE: 7 banks that are set to close in Norfolk this year

However, Steve Hodgson, who owns Kings Lynn based equine clothing company Nags Essentials, said he actually prefers physical payments.

Nags Essentials owner Steve Hodgson said he prefers cash payments to card (Image: Nags Essentials)

He said: “Our cash takings have dropped by probably 30pc since covid.

“If a customer pays us cash, we get 100pc of that cash as there are no credit card charges and bank charges.

“We can then pay local companies we use with cash and then they can benefit from no charges.”

However, Mark Kacary, who owns the Norfolk Deli in Hunstanton, said although there were no concrete plans to go cashless, it would make sense for the business in the long run.

He said: “Our current reason for accepting cash is to allow the relatively small number of people who will only use cash to be able to do so and not to discriminate against them.

“But there are many reasons as to why it would be a good idea not to accept cash.

“Hunstanton’s last proper bank closed earlier this year, which adds complications and cost to ensuring that we have change.”

Norfolk Deli managing director Mark Kacary said he wouldn’t rule out going cashless in the future (Image: News Quest)

He added that customers should be more understanding towards businesses that do decide to make the move.

He said: “Whatever people think about cashless, the demise of cash is more than likely to happen at some point.

“I understand and appreciate it’s an emotive subject and that people have said they would never shop at a business which went cashless.

“But it would be helpful if these same individuals were to come up with an answer to the question: ‘When all the banks around you are closed, and it becomes more and more difficult as a business to obtain cash and change, what would they do?’”