A bank has confirmed it will close next year leaving the whole area to adapt to a new service plan in several locations several days a week.

Barclays bank has confirmed that the branch on Priestpopple in Hexham will be closed on Friday March, 1 2024.

The news was announced earlier this month as figures reveal that fewer than 10 regular customers used this branch exclusively for their banking and do not interact with the bank in any other way.

This will be the last branch in the Tynedale area to close after Haltwhistle and Prudhoe closed in August this year. The first branch to close was Corbridge which closed in 2017 and Ponteland closed in 2019.

The bank plan to a Barclays Local in Hexham which will be a flexible community presence in places such as town halls and libraries, mobile vans and banking pods.

The aim is for customers to access a range of in-person support such as help with digital banking, financial reviews, balance checks transfers and bill payments.

They can also still have a wide range of options to complete their banking including their Local, Barclays app, Telephone Banking, Online Banking and Video Banking.

Those needing customer service and transactions can be completed at any Post Office with the closest located at 12, Battle Hill, Hexham.

Otherwise customers will have to travel to Carlisle or Newcastle.

A Barclays spokesperson said: “As visits to branches continue to fall, with the majority of people preferring to bank online, we need to adapt to provide the best service for all our customers. This is reflected at Hexham, where we are delivering new ways to support our customers and the community with options for those who need in-person services.”

“In Hexham we plan to open a Barclays Local – a cashless banking site where customers can meet a colleague face-to-face for banking support, as they would in a branch and without the need to travel. We are currently working with the local community to identify a suitable location and will announce details once confirmed.”