HSBC has opened a new pop bank at Darwen market for customers who want to have face to face interactions with staff.

The bank has not had a branch in Darwen since 2012, but following recent closures by other providers, HSBC said it had been working with Blackburn with Darwen Council to provide a banking presence to customers in Darwen.

The temporary pop-up branch will operate on a Wednesday every three weeks and is located at the Darwen Indoor Market in Market Street, in Darwen town centre.

The first session took place on Wednesday, September 6,with a second session today (September 27).

Further dates include: October 18, November 8, November 29 and December 20.

HSBC UK’s local director, Rafa Chiang, said: “The design of our branch network has evolved over the years from one that was purely based in physical branches, to one that encompass a broader range of local support beyond the traditional bank branch, including pop-up branches that are arranged locally to address the needs in each local area. 

“While our customers can use the local Post Office for day-to-day cash transactions, we are bringing a temporary pop-up branch to Darwen to help HSBC UK customers with ‘in the moment’ banking support including opening of accounts, queries on or support with online or mobile banking.

"Customers can also continue to use online, mobile or telephone banking, and our Live Chat service is available 24/7.”