More than 200 business owners in Wexford are preparing to operate without 1 and 2 cent coins for a 9 week trial period.

The town has been selected to operate the so called 'rounding trial' by the Central Bank.

Madeline Quirke is Chief Executive of Wexford Chamber of Commerce and she says it's good news for the people of Wexford:

Starting on September 16th all prices will be either rounded up or down to the nearest 5 cent in an effort to remove the number of small coins in circulation.

The experiment will run for two months until November.

They are a nuisance

Senator Feargal Quinn attended the launch of the trial in Wexford today.

He welcomed the initiative and labelled one and two cent coins as "a nuisance" adding that he had "questioned their relevance for some time."

According to the Central Bank, the rules are simple and fair for all.

The price of individual goods or services will remain unchanged as only the total bill will be rounded and non cash payments will remain the same.

Participation in the trial is voluntary so businesses and people can opt out if they want to hold onto their coppers.