Somerset loses another high-street bank as Natwest closes its Cheddar branch

Cheddar is joining an ever-growing list of towns and villages being hit by a bad time for high street banks.

NatWest says the number of transactions in its Cheddar branch have dropped by nearly half in the last six years.

The bank has decided to close the branch, leaving customers considering whether to switch their accounts.

Natwest says the fact that more customers are banking online has lead to the decision to close the branch.

"The way people choose to bank with us has changed radically over the last few years. Between 2010 and 2015, mobile and online transactions have increased by over 400% and mobile transactions alone have increased by 1,350%.

"Since 2011 we have seen the number of transactions in the Cheddar branch by 45%. These customers are actively choosing to bank in different ways. In the Cheddar branch 59.9% of customers are choosing to use our digital banking options.

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

The Post Office says it hopes to benefit from the closure of the Natwest branch by attracting extra customers who prefer to bank offline.

As well as encouraging people to use the Post Office, NatWest has created a community banker for Somerset to give advice to customers.

It is just another example of the huge changes rural banking has seen - as the once popular walk-in branch becomes ever rarer across the West Country.

Local MP James Heappey is encouraging people to switch their accounts to support the remaining branches in the town.