PLANS have been announced for the latest bank closure in Dorset.

Barclays will shut up shop in Canford Cliffs in October, blaming falling customer numbers.

It is the latest in a series of closures which have seen many communities left with no banking services at all.

Six months ago Natwest closed its Canford Cliffs branch, along with others at Winton, Westbourne, Boscombe, New Milton and Ferndown.

Fordingbridge in the New Forest has been without banking services since Lloyds closed its branch in December 2016.

Speaking about the latest closure, Chris Maynard, Community Banking Director for Barclays Solent and Dorset, said just 51 customers at Canford Cliffs use counter services to exclusively undertake their banking.

He added: “The way customers undertake their banking is changing as people increasingly use online, telephone and mobile devices. At Barclays Canford Cliffs branch, 80 per cent of our branch customers are also using other ways to do their banking such as online and by telephone.

“On average more than half - 58 per cent - of our customers now regularly use alternative branches and this figure is even higher for our business customers. We’ve also identified that only 51 customers use the counter to exclusively undertake their banking, which is why we have taken the difficult decision to close the branch.”

Mr Maynard said alternative facilities are available at Barclays in Westbourne or at the post office in Canford Cliffs.

He said the decision was not taken lightly and that the branch, situated in Haven Road, will close on Friday October 5.

Canford Cliffs resident Rosemary Leonard, 71, said: “I have been a customer for many years. I don’t understand this decision - it is always busy in the branch.

“I will have to go to Westbourne after October because I don’t know how todo online banking.”

David Hatton, 43, added: “It’s a shame because a lot of elderly people use this branch and it gives them a reason to get out and about. If things carry on like this we’ll all be stuck in our houses on computers all day.”

Local resident Ernest Milne, 67, added: “I prefer to speak to a real person and not a computer. I will need to ask my family to help me with online banking but sometimes you don’t want them to know everything.”