THE last bank in Fordingbridge is set to close after a drop in the number of customers using the facilities.

Lloyds Bank in Bridge Street closes on March 9 due to the changing way customers use the bank.

A spokesman for Lloyds Bank said: “The majority of our customers also now regularly use alternative branches or use other ways to bank such as online and telephone banking to complete their banking needs. We apologise for any inconvenience that this may cause and have informed customers of their closest alternative branch, which is Ringwood.”

Lloyds Bank says about 66 per cent of customers with personal bank accounts use other branches and other ways to bank such as online and telephone banking with about 89 per cent of its personal customers already using other branches, such as Ringwood.

It also says the number of personal bank account customers using the branch in the past year has dropped by around 16 per cent and that it only has 35 regular personal and business customers using the branch weekly.

Customers will have their accounts realigned to Ringwood and Lloyds Bank says “there will be no other impact to the way they manage their accounts”. Lloyds says it intends to “try to redeploy everyone currently working at a closing branch to an alternative branch”.

Fordingbridge lost its Barclays bank branch in Salisbury Street in November last year, and the NatWest bank has also been closed in the town.

Town mayor Cllr Malcolm Connolly said "it is very, very disappointing" but there is little the town council can do.

"It is a commercial decision in line with current banking trends," he said. "With online facilities and the post office their customers won't be deprived of services.

"We have explored avenues relating to a universal bank where a building could be used by all banks but none were willing to take us up on it. It's very sad."