HSBC closing Craven Arms branch sparks anger

A branch of the HSBC in south Shropshire will shut down in February next year, it was revealed today by banking chiefs who say it is no longer viable to keep the service in Craven Arms open.

But angry business leaders say without the bank they will have to travel out of the town to deposit money.

Town councillors say the closure on February 10 will 'strike another nail into the town's coffin' and have called on HSBC bosses to reconsider.

Bank spokesman Mark Hemingway said: "This was not an easy decision to make as our branch network is a very important part of our distribution channel.

"We do need to ensure that they are in the right locations for our customers and on occasions this means that we need to close a branch where customer footfall has fallen dramatically or there has been a shift in customer shopping patterns.

"Our Craven Arms Office is a case in point. The branch is currently only open for limited hours during the week and not on weekends and customer usage of it has fallen significantly over the past few years."

Two members of staff who man the branch will transfer to other local branches."

Shropshire Councillor for Church Stretton and Craven Arms, David Evans, who also owns two businesses in Craven Arms, said the move could stall the town's regeneration.

He said: "I'm very concerned about this. We are trying to regenerate Craven Arms and bring more businesses into the town."