Town's only bank is replaced by cashless service

Barclays bank, on Station Road in Flitwick, closed on Friday

A town that recently lost its Post Office has seen its only bank close.

Barclays shut its branch on Station Road in Flitwick, Bedfordshire, at midday on Friday, with the company saying more customers were choosing to bank online or via the telephone.

A replacement cashless facility, Barclays Local, is due to open on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays, between 09:30 and 14:30, at The Rufus Centre.

Customers will be able to get help with digital banking, balance requests and open new accounts, the company said.

Yorkshire Building Society, on Station Square, remains open.

The Barclays Local service will open from Monday at The Rufus Centre on Steppingly Road

Separately, Flitwick Town Council has been working with nearby Ampthill Town Council to get a new banking hub opened in Ampthill in early 2024, after the town lost its last bank in 2017.

The hub would be available to customers of all banks and process cash.

Flitwick's Post Office counter, which was inside another store on the High Street, closed on 31 December.

The bank closed at midday on Friday

A Barclays spokeswoman said the company was "committed to deploying a range of more flexible ways that customers can physically interact with the bank".

She said it had a "commitment to customers and the local community, albeit in a different environment".

Nearby banks remain in Dunstable and Bedford, Barclays said.