Bank is set to close branch in South Shields

The Lloyds Bank in Prince Edward Road, at the Nook, South Shields, will shut on June 6.

The bank says the number of customers at the branch has fallen over the last year, and that most people also use other branches, including one in King Street.

However, customer John Dorothy, who runs the company Coach Liners of Tyneside, has hit out at the decision to close it.

He said: “I know a lot of people who are up in arms over it.

“I was in the bank the other day, and I wasn’t the only one saying it was a disgrace.

“It’s absolutely terrible, and I think Lloyds will lose loads of customers over this.

“The Prince Edward Road area is the best shopping area in the town and the customers from round here won’t want to use the King Street branch on a regular basis.

“This is scandalous and I’m extremely concerned about it.

“They should be closing the King Street branch before this one.”

The bank says that 89% of its customers which use the Prince Edward Road branch already use other branches.

It also claims that the number of counter transactions made by personal customers there fell last year by 16%.

Customers will have their accounts realigned to King Street, which is about two miles away, and they are not expected to see any other impact to the way they manage their accounts.

A spokesman for Lloyds Bank said: “The Harton branch in Prince Edward Road, South Shields, will close on June 6, 2017.

“We have made the difficult decision to close this branch because of the changing way customers choose to bank with us, which has resulted in customers using it less often.

“The majority of customers also now regularly use alternative branches or use other ways to bank such as online and telephone banking to complete their banking needs.

“We apologise for any inconvenience that this may cause and have informed customers of the closest alternative branch, which is located in King Street, South Shields.”