YOU may as well have Russian roubles in High Wycombe if you want to spend euros.

The new currency seems to have left shoppers and shopkeepers unimpressed.

Despite comments that shops might start accepting them and euros could replace sterling, the pound will prevail.

Many of the shops in High Wycombe will not accept euros and in those that do, the advice is to stick to pounds.

"No, we have not seen a single euro, yet," said a spokesman for John Lewis, in Holmer Farm Way, Cressex, High Wycombe, where they are accepting euros.

"We think they will filter through as time goes by and I think the number of euros we see will increase."

The spokesman added: "Our stores in central London have seen them already but not out here.

"The tills in the store do take them but we have to do a minor exchange at a cash desk on the shop floor.

"If you wanted to pay in euros, you would say you wished to pay like that and a cashier would contact a finance office and we would work out what the cost would be.

"You would have to pay a commission on the sale and your change would be in sterling, and it would be better to pay in sterling."

The spokesman added the exchange rate would be calculated every day.

He went on: "I think if you wanted to pay in euros it is relatively straight forward for the procedures that we have got.

"We do not see a real problem to be honest and customers hopefully would not notice a difference in terms of time spent at the till."

Nevertheless, staff have been told to expect euros and have been trained in what the notes look like and anti-forgery devices.

The spokesman added: "The security features are quite good actually for what we have seen and are better than the British notes.

"We are anticipating seeing people using up holiday money that they have brought back. That is the kind of thing that we are likely to see."

Another High Street store prepared to accept euros is Marks and Spencer, in Church Street, High Wycombe.

Barry Tanswell, regional manager for Marks and Spencers, said: "If you wanted to buy in euros here you would need to go to the information point in the same way as if you were buying in any other currency, US dollars, for example.

"If you went to the point, they would do the exchange rate for you, but there would be a commission fee."

Both stores will accept euros in the same way they would have accepted other European currencies, although at a fee.

Neither shops have plans to start displaying goods marked with prices in euros as well as pounds, so a dual currency, as some think may happen, may be some way off.

Roy Bagley, spokesman for High Wycombe market traders, doubted that a stall holder would accept them.

Foreign exchange bureaux reported a surge of interest in the new notes, although mainly as souvenirs. Caron White, manager of Thomas Cook in White Hart Street, High Wycombe, said: "There has been amazing demand.

"There has been a flow of people coming in to buy them to show other people. We had people come in as soon as we were open and it has not stopped. We have mainly had families buying them to show the children and a few people buying holiday money."