Barclays in Leiston’s Main Street to close – leaving the town with no banks

A Barclays branch is set to become the latest loss for Suffolk as it makes plans to close later this year – another major blow for the county’s high streets.

Citing a significant drop in footfall, the banking firm said it plans to shut its Leiston outlet on May 17 at 12pm.

In a letter sent to customers, Barclays said 64 people used the Main Street branch regularly in the last year, while 84 per cent of all its users accessed banking services through other means.

Eight per cent of users also visited nearby banks in the past 12 months, the letter said.

The closure of Barclays will leave Leiston without a bank branch.

Banking can still be accessed via the Post Office, online banking or by telephone, the firm said.

The nearest Barclays outlets are in Lowestoft and Ipswich – 20 miles and 25 miles away, respectively.

Leiston’s Barclays followed the fate of those in other small towns, including Woodbridge, Haverhill, Mildenhall, Newmarket and Sudbury.

As it has been left without a bank, Leiston may be eligible for a banking hub to be set up by cash machine network LINK.

A LINK spokesman told SuffolkNews that no new services have been recommended.

Therese Coffey, MP for Suffolk Coastal, lamented the loss of the bank.

She said: “I find it disappointing and short sighted from Barclays bank, especially given the influx of workers at Sizewell C.

“I will work with [Leiston] Town Council to see if a banking hub can be established and will keep the community informed of any developments.