A BANK in Hazlemere will close in the summer to the disappointment of the village’s elderly residents.

RBS has confirmed the Natwest branch in Park Parade, Hazlemere, will close on June 18 after footfall dropped by 15 per cent in recent years.

Only 53 of the 916 active branch customers visit the bank every week, RBS said. The ATMs will remain on the site after the closure.

Joyce Melia, 72, said she visits the branch every week and said the village’s elderly residents feel “upset and marginalised” by the firm.

She said: “Lots of people are not happy about it; it will affect a lot of people in Hazlemere – particularly the local shops and us elderly residents who cannot get around as easily as other people.

“I’ve spoken to my friends and everyone feels the same – upset, ignored and marginalised. The bank has been there for donkey’s years.”

The Hazlemere resident added a petition had been launched by a number of shops along the parade in a bid to reverse the decision.

Explaining the closure, RBS spokesman Lisa Irvine said: “More and more of our customers are using alternative ways to bank with us, such as online and telephone banking, or using their mobile phone.

“As a result, we’ve seen the number of people using the branch fall significantly over the last few years and so we’ve made the difficult decision to close the Hazlemere branch on June 18.

“We’ve advised staff and we’re writing to our customers to make them aware of the different ways they can bank with us.

“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.”