CORSHAM will soon be home to only one bank with the announcement by HSBC that it will be closing its branch in the town in October.

Thousands of residents were informed about the changes in a letter last week and Robert Davies, 70, of Springfield Close, has hit out at the decision which he believes will result in many people transferring to Lloyds – the only remaining bank in the town.

“I was surprised to hear that they are closing it because we are going to have nearly 1,000 more houses built in the next few years in Corsham and there are going to be a considerable number of people who need to use a bank,” Mr Davies said.

“Let us remember that banks were set up as a service provider and they have lost sight of what they are. We lost Natwest 18 months ago and Nationwide a few years before that.

“Corsham only has Lloyds now which already has reduced opening hours and even that isn’t guaranteed to stay open.

“All I know is that I see people going into the bank and quite a lot of them are elderly and they are really upset about the closure.

“I am not prepared for HSBC to do that to its customers and expect to stay with them.”

Mr Davies, who has been a customer since the early 1980s, along with other bank users will now have to travel to Chippenham in order to get to their nearest HSBC bank or alternatively move to online banking.

“It is an inconvenience for people and I am concerned for the elderly who do not want to bank online which is the option we have been given.

“I find it quite offensive that they go on about the facilities in Chippenham and there are a lot of people who do not want to travel and it is bad for the environment to have to travel that distance to go to a bank.”

As a result of the closure, Corsham will also be losing its HSBC cash machine.

Mr Davies added: “We have quite a lot of other villages like Box, Neston and Gastard surrounding Corsham and people are relying on banks to stay open. I am aware that some people will change but even the Post Office is likely to get busier with people going in to pay in cash and cheques.

“Every HSBC customer I have spoken to is offended and some are going to change banks because of it.”

The branch, which opened in 1948, is set to close its doors on Friday, October 2.

A HSBC spokesman said: “We never take the decision to close a branch lightly, and we understand it's unsettling for the local community.

“Unfortunately, use of the Corsham branch has fallen significantly over the past few years, and we've taken the difficult decision to close it. We are working with customers who use the branch to help them understand their options, which include being able to use the Corsham post office to check their balance and withdraw and pay in cash and cheques to their HSBC account.

“There are also fee-free cash machines nearby. We're working with our employees who work in the branch to find them a role in the local area.”