Barclays customers in one Welsh town are facing a 70-mile round trip to the nearest branch after a closure was announced. The banking giant said the decision to close the Dolgellau branch was made due to falling customer numbers, with the branch only having 22 regular customers.
The branch will close on Thursday October, 27. Barclays said everyday transactions can be completed at any Post Office with the closest located at nearby Plas Yn Dref Street. But the nearest branches will be in Aberystwyth or Pwllheli, around 35 miles away, North Wales Live reports.
Read more: Halifax and Lloyds to shut 66 more bank branches - the full list
Bosses said only a total of 22 regular customers use this branch exclusively for their banking and do not interact with them in other ways.
A Barclays spokesperson 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.
“This is reflected at the Dolgellau branch where there has been a 48% reduction in counter transactions in the two years to March 2020. In addition, 81% of our Dolgellau customers are also using different ways to bank.
“We will work with our customers and provide alternative options to ensure they can continue to manage their money and receive financial expertise when required. This includes working with the local community to find different, more flexible ways for our colleagues to continue to provide local banking support, such as through pop-up presences.”
The announcements comes just days after the UK high street was dealt another blow as Lloyds Banking Group says it is to shut 66 more branches permanently later this year and into 2023. The closures will see 48 branches of Lloyds Bank and 18 Halifax branches close for good between October 2022 and February 2023. In Wales, branches in Caldicot in Monmouthshire, Holyhead on Anglesey, Llandrindod Wells in Powys, and Welshpool in Montgomeryshire are affected.
To get the latest news from across Wales straight to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletters here.
READ NEXT
- We went looking for the cheapest petrol and diesel in Swansea
The growing number of towns and villages in Wales without a bank
Shell reports record profits of nearly £10bn as Brits struggle to pay energy and fuel bills
Universal Credit benefits to rise for millions in April as inflation surges ahead
People with these surnames in Wales could be heirs to fortunes
