THE closure of a town’s last remaining bank branch has been labelled ‘a bitter blow’.

Lloyds yesterday announced its Darwen branch would be among 41 to shut, with seven Halifax outlets also to be axed.

It blamed a sharp drop in people using them as internet banking’s popularity increases.

The Unite union said the closures would deny thousands of customers access to vital services and cash, and could lead to 178 job losses.

Cllr Kevin Connor, a Darwen Conservative borough and town councillor, said: “This is a bitter blow for the town, particularly with it being the last remaining bank.

“I suppose people will still be able to use the Post Office for simple transactions, but that isn’t the point. There should be banks so that people can establish a relationship and do things that aren’t possible online.

“On those occasions now, they will be forced into Blackburn – which doesn’t sound like a long way – but if you’ve no car and no way of getting there, it’s very difficult.

“Banks have a social responsibility, from looking after their customers to protecting jobs, which will now be lost.

“We bailed them out, spent billions bailing them out – and this is the thanks we get. It’s terrible.

“I accept the way people manage their money has changed. But the point remains, sometimes face-to-face appointments are absolutely necessary – rather than talking over the phone or on an app.”

Labour Cllr David Smith, of Darwen East, said: “The bank has been operating on reduced opening hours for a while, and there had been rumours going round about it closing completely for a long time.

“This is not good news for Darwen. I know some people use the post office to do some of their banking but there’s a loss of jobs element to this too.

“It’s bad news whichever angle you look at it from. As more people go digital, more and more banks seem to be closing which then makes things more difficult for those who do want to continue banking in-person. Now, they’re forced to go into Blackburn.”

Liberal Democrat Darwen councillor Paul Browne, who is a Lloyds customer, said: "I'm sick as a parrot. Darwen will have nothing left if this kind of thing continues.

"I use that Lloyds bank for my own personal account and not so long ago they were telling me they wouldn't close because they'd had an influx of Santander customers after that one closed.

"This is very bad for Darreners and they'll quite rightly be up in arms. We've got to go into Blackburn to bank now. Even if you do have a car, you'll still have to pay to park and what not. It's a travesty this is, an absolute travesty."

Vim Maru, retail director for Lloyds Banking Group, said: “Like many other businesses, we’ve seen people using our branches less frequently in recent years, and this decline is continuing.

“We need to ensure the size of our branch network reflects the number of customers wanting to use them.”

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “The announcement by Lloyds Banking Group of closing a further 48 bank branches is a complete betrayal of the communities and staff who have long supported this highly profitable business.

“Banks are leaving people behind in the rush to close bank branches and force consumers to go cashless to boost their mega-profits. It’s a classic example of putting profits before people.”

Federation of Small Businesses chairman Mike Cherry said: “As our bank branch and ATM network continues its rapid decline, the ability to freely access and securely deposit cash is becoming more and more restricted. Fees for access often fall on those who can least afford them.”

Darwen has lost branches such as Barclays, Halifax, HSBC, NatWest and Santander in recent years. Lloyds Bank will close to the public on February 8, 2022.