Barclays Bank to axe two Fylde coast branches

The branch in Clifton Street, Lytham will shut its doors on May 17, with the axe falling on the Poulton branch on May 24.

Barclays cite a substantial fall in the number of in-branch transactions and increasing use of online and telephone banking.

A spokesman said that as far as the branch in Clifton Street, Lytham is concerned, customer using other ways to do their banking has increased by 18 per cent since 2012 and only 42 customers mow use the branch exclusively for their banking.

In Poulton, the equivalent statistics for the Queens Square outlet are 21 per cent and 55 customers.

The spokesman added that in both branches, more than 80 per cent of customers already also use other ways to do their banking.

Today’s announcement comes just over a week after Santander revealed it is to close its branch in Fleetwood in June, leaving the port with just one bank, and just days after Kirkham’s last bank, the RBS, closed it doors for good.

The RBS also closed in Blackpool on Thursday.

Nearest branch for Lytham Barclays customers after the closure will be St Annes, while The Crescent, Cleveleys and Birley Street, Blackpool will be the closest alternative outlets to Poulton.