Bank branch to close as RBS wields the axe

ROYAL Bank Of Scotland has announced that it is shutting its branch in Derby Street in Ormskirk.

RBS announced on Tuesday that the site will be among 162 in England and Wales to be axed.

Some 109 branches will close in late July and August, while a further 53 will close in November.

Nearby in Merseyside, branches at Birkdale (Southport), Bootle, Birkenhead and Speke and Hunts Cross will also shut, as will 10 in Manchester.

The bank said that 792 jobs would go as a result and staff would be offered voluntary redundancy.

The news came as a shock to local residents, who responded online.

Martin Greenwood said: “There will be no banks left soon. Feel sorry for local businesses who rely on banks.”

Roz Mcilroy said: “Not everyone is on the internet, not everyone wants to use cards all the time, and, oh, yeah, great way of teaching kids about saving and the value of money, just teach them how to use cards not know how much you have and create huge debts, not that it’s not already happening.”

An RBS spokesman said: “We now have two branch networks operating in close proximity to each other; NatWest and Royal Bank of Scotland, in England and Wales.

“As a result, we have had to review our overall branch footprint in England and Wales and we’ve made the difficult decision to close a number of Royal Bank of Scotland branches.

“Customers of Royal Bank of Scotland in England & Wales will be able to use NatWest branches instead for their every- day banking needs.”

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