Concerns voiced as Barclays plans to close branch in Peterborough's Old Fletton

Concern has been voiced at plans by a leading bank to close one of its Peterborough branches.

Barclays Bank has announced proposals to close the branch in High Street, Old Fletton, by August 5.

The bank says the number of customers using the branch has fallen to 53 who use the outlet just for banking.

But the move has been criticised by Shailesh Vara, MP for North Cambridgeshire.

He said: “I am writing to the chief executive of Barclays Bank asking them to reconsider this decision.

“This is very disappointing.

"Whilst I appreciate that banking methods have changed significantly in recent years, this will still have a huge impact on some members of the local community.”

Outlining the reasons for closure, the bank says: “The number of counter transactions has gone down in the two years to March 2020, and 91 per cent of customers also use other ways to do their banking such as online and by telephone

"Customers using other ways to do their banking has increased by 12% since 2015 and in the past 12 months, 54 per cent of the branch's customers have been using nearby branches

It adds: “We’ve identified that only 53 customers use this branch exclusively for their banking.”

It also points out it has another branch in Church Street, which is 1.3 miles away.

It will be the latest in a spate of Barclays closures in the last 18 months. Its Eastfield Road branch closed in January last year and its Millfield outlet shut in December 2020.