Plans to close the final major bank branch in a busy County Durham town has been pushed back to spring 2024.

The Halifax branch on Bevridge Way in the centre of Newton Aycliffe will now close in March 2024 after it was originally set to close its doors in September 2023.

Halifax has explained this extension has been put in place to allow a Banking Hub to be set up and assure a smooth transition to the new location.

Read more: Residents fury as Barclays to close Durham branch this year

Currently, said location and its opening hours are unknown but the location is set to house a Community Banker who will be available at the site once a week.

A statement from Halifax online reads: "Like many other high street businesses, we’ve seen people using our branches less frequently in recent years as more customers choose to do most of their everyday banking online.

"We’re responding to the way our customers use our branches. We’ll continue to invest in our branch network, but we have to make sure our branches are where customers need and use them most.

"As a result, we've made the difficult decision to close this branch because customers are using it less often. In addition, the majority of customers are also using alternative ways to bank."

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When this branch eventually closes, it will follow Santander, TSB and Barclays who have all closed branches in Newton Aycliffe in the last five years.

Figures from Halifax show that only 55 customers used the branch regularly in the year to October 2022, with 81% of customers also using online or telephone banking.

Customers have been given the alternative of using the Bishop Auckland or Darlington branches should they need to use a bank in person.