TWO local NatWest bank branches will be closing their doors in the new year due to lack of customers.

NatWest in Chineham will close on February 21, with the branch in Mortimer closing later in the year on June 25.

The way people use the banks has changed radically over the last few years - since 2014, the number of customers using branches across the UK has fallen by 40 per cent.

Transactions in Chineham branch have reduced by 56 per cent since 2012, with only 37 customers visiting the branch on a weekly basis.

In Mortimer, only 25 customers visit the branch on a weekly basis.

Debbie Phillips from the Royal Bank of Scotland, which works with NatWest, said: “We are proactively communicating with our customers affected by the closures and will be contacting vulnerable customers and regular branch users and will be adhering in full to the new Access to Banking Standard.

“We know that not all of our customers are comfortable or familiar with using online or mobile banking, so we have created a new specialist taskforce of NatWest TechXperts who will be dedicated to supporting our customers with training and support with digital skills until the branches close.”

Despite the closing of the branches, there are alternatives for customers to use to continue banking, these include online or telephone banking, visiting the post office or visiting another branch.

For more information visit rbs.com.