CLOSING Wrington’s only bank was not an easy decision, according to the man who made the call.

NatWest announced last month it would be moving out of Broad Street in early January, to the dismay of many villagers and businesses.

There have been calls for the bank to reverse its decision however that does not appear likely.

Colin Orr, NatWest’s local chief executive for outer Bristol, said: “Clearly making the decision to close any branch is not an easy one, and I can assure is not made without a great deal of thought, analysis and planning.

“The nature of banking has changed dramatically over the past few years, and with the move towards alternative service options such as mobile, telephone and online banking we have seen the volume of transactions in our branches drop by over 30 per cent.

“While I acknowledge that the branch closure will disappoint a number of our customers, we have been working hard to ensure that we do provide alternative banking options, specifically through our agreement with the Post Office.

“Having examined the nature of the transactions completed in the Wrington branch the agreement that we have in place will ensure that the vast majority of transactions can be undertaken through this facility, often at times more convenient for our customers given the difference in the opening hours.”