I HAVE just learned with utter dismay of the proposed closure of the Lloyds Bank branch in Nailsworth at the end of March next year.

This is an appalling decision, and one which will leave the town without a single high street bank presence.

Nailsworth has a population of around 6,000, and one of the characteristics of this thriving town is that the average age here is older than both the national average, and also the overall average for Gloucestershire.

It will come as no surprise that most ‘older’ people have no wish to involve themselves in the complexities or risks of internet banking, so the loss of their local branch in Nailsworth will be a disaster.

When HSBC shut down their Nailsworth branch a few years ago, Lloyds was inundated with new account applications.

Clearly people had no wish to remain with HSBC and have to travel to Stroud.

If this strategy of wholesale branch closures instigated by the CEO of Lloyds Banking Group is such a great idea, it seems odd that the bank’s share price has fallen so sharply in recent times.

This ill-considered closure decision should be retracted immediately. We need our high street bank in Nailsworth.

John Rookwood (age 69)

Nailsworth