Not being allowed to pay in cash for goods and services is causing growing concern among the public, according to a survey by ATM network LINK.

In the past eight weeks, 45% of adults have been to a venue or tried to pay for a service but have not been allowed to pay in cash, or they have been discouraged from doing so.

Almost half said being unable to pay in cash or being discouraged had caused them an inconvenience.

London was ranked as the top location where shoppers had experienced the most reluctance for shops and services to take notes.

Around £1.6bn is withdrawn from LINK ATMs each week, however, withdrawal volumes are on average down by 40% since the pandemic.

Contactless cards and digital payments are popular ways to pay prompting 47% of those surveyed to say that the ban on cash during the height of Covid had not caused them a problem.

Cash acceptance has been the most limited in car parks, cafes, restaurants and on public transport.

Graham Mott, director of strategy at LINK, said: “We know some people simply prefer using cash, but there are millions who can’t do digital payments, so being unable to be pay in notes and coins is still frustrating for some.”

One in eight card users said they found it more difficult to keep track of their finances due to using card payments in shops instead of cash.

Further, 16% of people said they were keeping cash at home just in case of emergencies, and 8% said they had used cash to pay a friend or family member in return for them doing shopping, or other services, that they couldn’t do.