OKEHAMPTON has reacted with dismay to news that its NatWest bank is to close its doors for the last time next June.

The branch is one of 197 NatWest and 62 Royal Bank of Scotland branches closing across the country, in the latest wave of closures being blamed on people’s move to online banking. There will also be around 680 redundancies countrywide which parent company the Royal Bank of Scotland says it will manage on a ‘voluntary basis’.

One businesswoman described the news as ‘a huge blow’, and many customers expressed their concern for staff at the branch.

Rebecca Green, who runs the shop Mooplehog in the town centre, is one of the small businesses in Okehampton affected. She said she would be moving to Lloyds which, with Barclays and TSB, will be the last three banks in town when NatWest closes.

‘It is a huge blow, because I have both my business and my personal banking at NatWest,‘ she said. ‘I pay in cheques and also have to bank cash for the business. If I have to do that at the post office, I will literally not have the time. It is so busy that you can wait over half an hour to get served, so I will have to switch banks, and that is what a lot of other people will be doing too. Loads of people have been coming into the shop and saying they are going to move banks.’

She added that it was a massive shame because people were very loyal to the branch. ‘The staff at the Okehampton NatWest are absolutely exceptional. They are so good and they have been there for many years. They are part of the community and we see them all the time. I go in there three or four times a week. Also, because NatWest are closing their Crediton and Holsworthy branches too, we will have no NatWest between Exeter, Barnstaple and Tavistock, which is a very large area of the county.’

NatWest customer Hyder Pirwany has banked at the branch since he moved to Okehampton 27 years ago.

He is starting a petition calling for the branch to be kept open.

‘I feel quite distressed about the whole thing,’ he said. ‘It has been my branch for all these years and I know the people inside and they know me. It is very easy to go in there and have a chat and get things done, because you can’t beat face-to-face contact. They are not thinking about the people who this is affecting. People are having to change banks, it is causing a lot of stress for people.’

Mr Pirwany, a pensioner, said that getting used to banking online would be challenging for him and others of his generation. ‘I’m 76, nearly 77, and I’m lucky enough to be in my senses but at the same time, I have got a hearing problem and I’m gradually losing my sight, and I’m not the only one in this position.’

A spokesman for RBS said that the decision had been made because the number of people banking online was rising.

‘More and more of our customers are choosing to do their everyday banking online or on mobile,’ he said. ‘Since 2014 the number of customers using our branches across the UK has fallen by 40% and mobile transactions have increased by 73% over the same period. Over five million customers now use our mobile banking app and one in five only bank with us digitally. We’re providing our customers with more ways to bank than ever before – they can choose from a range of digital to face-to-face options.’

‘We expect these branch closures to result in around 680 redundancies. We realise this is difficult news for our colleagues and we are doing everything we can to support those affected. We will ensure compulsory redundancies are kept to an absolute minimum.’

The bank confirmed there are five members of Okehampton staff affected and they are working with them to consider their options.

The RBS spokeman added ‘we are writing to customers of affected branches to highlight the alternative ways to bank in their area’ and that they would be providing ‘a new specialist taskforce of TechXperts’ to help customers get up to speed with banking digitally.