FOR the first time in almost a year, people in Corbridge will be able to access money at all hours.

There was delight among villagers as it was confirmed an application for a new 24/7 cash machine outside of the Post Office was approved. It is expected to be installed and operational within three weeks.

People in Corbridge were rocked when the village's two banks closed within months of each other last year, Lloyds' decision to close its doors in March followed by Barclays' announcement of its closure in November.

However, Barclays has worked closely with the community since it left the village and has linked up with the village post office to bring a 24-hour cash machine back to the village.

The news has been well received by local people as, while there is a ATM within the Co-op, there was no local access to cash outside of the store's opening hours.

In addition, the current machine does not have the capacity to store large amounts of money, and it often leaves people frustrated when it runs out of cash.

Northumberland County Councillor for Corbridge, Nick Oliver, said: "When Barclays announced it was closing, I had a meeting with the regional manager and regional director to try to persuade them not to close the bank, or leave the cash point if they did plan to close it.

"They said they would look into installing one in the post office and everybody has worked hard to get the plans off the ground. So I am very happy it has come to fruition and I am very grateful to the Post Office and Barclays for bringing it back to our village.

"A lot of local people and tourists rely on using the cash machine, so it is very positive news for Corbridge that the planning application has been approved."