A MAJOR high street bank has announced it is closing its branch in Romsey town centre.

Now from this autumn customers and businesses will be forced to travel miles to get over the counter service.

Letters were sent out to customers of HSBC informing them that their Market Place branch would be shutting in October.

Both business and personal banking customers will have to travel into Southampton city centre to speak to someone behind the counter.

Some services – such as paying in cash, withdrawing cash and checking balances – can be undertaken at the Post Office, but there will be no HSBC cash point in the town.

Staff will be transferred to other branches in the area.

A spokesman said the “growth of telephone and online banking” led to the closure, which will be taking place on Friday October 14.

All accounts held at the Romsey branch will be transferred to the HSBC in Above Bar Street, Southampton.

Recently HSBC closed another of their branches in Hedge End, which was targeted by ram raiders earlier this year.

An HSBC spokesperson said: "We continually review our branch network to make sure our branches are in the right locations for our customers and we have a sustainable network for the future. 

“Over the past five years, we have seen an overall reduction of footfall at our branches of more than 40%, and sometimes we have to make the difficult decision to close branches. 

“These are not decisions we take lightly and we work closely with those impacted, including customers and staff, to help them understand their options.”

But one customer, Geoff Skinner, said he has to queue up when he goes into branch.

“I’m very annoyed about it,” he said. “I don’t like telephone banking, I prefer talking to people.”

He added that he would be changing his bank.

Another customer, Janet Blizzard, said: “I like going into a bank and actually speak to somebody, just to know that there’s somebody I can talk to.”

The news was met with shock from community leaders who said that it would be a “significant loss” to the town centre.

Pete Speirs, president of the Romsey Chamber of Commerce, said the decision was “short sighted”.

“The majority of people in Romsey during the day are older people and they prefer to see people rather than go on the internet,” he said.

“I understand where the banks are coming from but they provide a service. If people have got to go to Southampton for their banking, they may change their banks.”

He added that it's those business customers that need to access the bank for cash flow who would be affected by the closure.

Mark Edgerley, Romsey’s town centre manager, said it would be difficult to find a new business to move into the three-storey property.

“It’s a conservation building, it’s probably got limited range. It’s not an ideal retail premises. It’s probably a 19th century building, it will be listed.” he said but added that he’s “not overly concerned”.

“It’s a prime location right in the town centre with some parking outside the front of it. With the improvement to Market Place it would be a good place for a restaurant.”

He added it would be smaller businesses who would suffer from the closure.