Fall in customers forces bank to shut down

NatWest will close on June 18 forcing customers to travel to branches in Shoreham or Worthing, both around three miles away.

A NatWest spokesperson said more and more customers were banking online, by telephone or on mobiles.

“As a result, we’ve seen the number of people using the branch fall significantly over the last few years and we’ve made the difficult decision to close the Lancing branch,” he said.

NatWest has told staff and is writing to customers to let them know.

“If customers are concerned about how this will impact their banking, they can go into the branch where staff will be happy to discuss the alternative options available,” the spokesman said.

The number of personal customers using the using the branch has dropped by 13 per cent in the last few years while the number of business customers visiting the branch has fallen by almost a third.

The spokesman said only 6 per cent of active customers visited the branch every week.

Customers who have basic bank accounts with the Lancing branch will have their restrictions lifted and will be able to use ATMs from other banks in the area.

There are 13 NatWest ATMs within a three mile radius of the branch that customers will be able to use.