Robert Burns and Loch Ness Monster top banknote poll

Robert Burns and the Loch Ness Monster have topped a poll of what people would like to see on banknotes in the event of independence and a move to a new currency.

Sporting heroes Andy Murray and Alex Ferguson were other popular choices to adorn any potential new notes.

More than 2,000 people were asked which faces they would like on their money if Scotland became independent and decided to discard the pound.

A quarter said they would keep the national poet on the front of the banknote and one in 10 voted for Nessie.

People would least like to see Pop Idol singer Michelle McManus, entertainer Jimmy Krankie and singing duo The Proclaimers on a new banknote, the poll suggests.

Phil Turner, from foreign exchange firm Travelex which carried out the survey, said: “As the people of Scotland are deciding whether or not to leave the UK, we thought it would be interesting and fun to ask them what they would like a new currency to look like.

“Of course, it may never happen, meaning that the Loch Ness Monster on the front of a banknote may stay as mysterious as the monster’s real-life presence.”