The new 12-sided £1 coin will be available in Sittingbourne next week.

The coins are being made available at a select few banks across 14 towns in the country on Tuesday, March 28.

People in Sittingbourne will be able to go to Santander, in the High Street, to get their hands on one of the new eagerly-awaited coins.

The 13 other locations are: Glasgow, Belfast, Liverpool, Birmingham, Cardiff, Bath, London, Manchester, Leeds, York, Newcastle, Edinburgh and Aberdeen.

A spokesman for HM Treasury and The Royal Mint said: "It may take some time for the new coin to reach all bank branches and retailers as part of the normal cash cycle flows."

He added: "There is no specific reason as to why Sittingbourne was chosen for Kent.

"The locations have been evenly mapped out across the UK so that there is a relative driving distance from each area."

The new £1 has been billed as the most secure in the world, with the aim of helping to tackle the scourge of counterfeits.

People are being urged to dig out their round pounds in order to spend or return them before October 15 this year.