Dismay as third bank in South Downs village set to close

A third bank in a South Downs village has announced that it is to close.

Barclays Bank is to shut its Storrington branch – the third bank to close in the village – in January.

The bank said it would close for the final time on January 14 after a fall in the numbers of people using its services.

But the news has dismayed many villagers who say they rely on Barclays for their transactions. They said many did not have access to online banking. Two other banks in Storrington – Lloyds and Nat

West – have already shut.

A spokesman for Barclays said: “The decision to close a branch is never an easy one.

“However, customers are increasingly using alternatives to branches to do their banking. As a result, we are seeing a sustained fall in branch visits across the UK. We will work with our customers and provide alternative options to ensure they can continue to manage their money and receivefinancialexpertisewhen required.”

The spokesman said customers had a ‘wide range of options to complete their banking including the Barclays app, telephone banking, online banking and video banking’ and thateverydaytransactionscould be completed at any post office.

The spokesman added: “We do not intend to make anyone redundant as a result of this closure. Colleagues working at the Storrington branch will be offered alternative roles in the bank.”

Meanwhile, the bank is to offer virtual ‘tea and teach’ sessions for customers interested in finding out more about online services.