A banknote storage container (1) comprising a housing (2) enclosing an internal banknote receiving compartment (8), said housing (2) including a banknote input aperture (3) in communication with a banknote receiving compartment ingress opening (3′); the banknote receiving compartment (8) includes a pair of pivotable bascule members (4, 5), said bascule members (4, 5) disposed in opposing lateral positions within the banknote receiving compartment, and each of said pair of bascule members (4, 5) includes a gate element (16) disposed at an end of the bascule member proximal to the ingress opening (3′) and a banknote contact portion (15) at an end of the bascule member distal from the ingress opening (3′); and the banknote contact portion (15) of each of said bascule members (4, 5) protrudes into the banknote receiving compartment (8) such that when a leading edge of a banknote received into said banknote receiving compartment (8) simultaneously comes into contact with the banknote contact portion (15) of each of said bascule members (4, 5), the bascule members pivot from an ingress opening open position to an ingress opening closed position where the gate element (16) of each of said bascule members obstructs the ingress opening (3′) to prevent ingress of a subsequent banknote or retrieval of the received banknote from without the banknote storage container.