Is it fair Barclays is ending cash withdrawals in post offices?

I HAVE been a Barclays customer since 1965 when I started working for them. I’m ashamed it has announced that from January we will no longer be able to withdraw cash in post offices (Money Mail). Barclays closed my village branch in August. There is no direct bus route to the town where there is a branch, but we were told at the time of the closure we could get cash from the post office. What a betrayal! L. MASTERS, Norfolk. INSTEAD of walking to my local post office, from January if I wish to withdraw cash from my Barclays account I will have to drive six miles and pay to park. IAN MOFFAT, Ninfield, E. Sussex.

YOU can get your cash from an ATM any time of the night or day. Post offices close at night, weekends and bank holidays. And see how long you have to queue before you get to the counter. DAVID EDWARDS, Leighton Buzzard, Beds.

Living in the country, I rely on the village post office, otherwise it’s a 20-mile round trip to the nearest ATM. When I phoned Barclays to complain about it dropping its cash withdrawal service in post offices, I was shocked when the customer services adviser said: ‘Why do you need cash? Can’t you pay another way?’ A. GREEN, King’s Lynn, Norfolk.

THE Post Office understands why Mail readers are so disappointed by Barclays’ decision to stop customers withdrawing cash at our branches from January. We are delighted that 27 other banks recognise that our network of more than 11,500 branches, with 6,000 in rural areas, open at evenings and weekends, offer the best solution for cash withdrawals. Though they will no longer be able to withdraw cash from their accounts, we would like to reassure Barclays’s customers that the balance inquiry and cheque and cash deposit service will still be available after January. MARTIN KEARSLEY, Post Office banking director, London EC1.

IF All the people who are affected by Barclays’ decision transferred to a Post Office account, they could be offering our post offices a lifeline as well as giving Barclays the kicking it deserves. COLIN CHALKLEY, Wakefield, W. Yorks.