Barclays has announced a new closure date for its Barnard Castle branch. 

The banking giant has confirmed it will be bringing down the shutters on the town's Market Place branch on Wednesday, September 11, for the final time. 

Bosses initially set a date of on or before Friday, January 17, 2025, for the closure - saying that only 28 customers used the site regularly as the only way to do their banking. 

But now the location will close in just weeks, despite councillors from both sides of party lines calling for a public meeting following the closure announcement in February. 

Deputy Town Mayor Chris Foote-Wood previously said there was a "great deal of anger and concern" in the community at the time, with a meeting then taking place.

In an op-ed for The Northern Echo in April, Cllr Foote-Wood said that talks were underway to establish a “banking hub” in the town. 

The closure will come four years after Barclays committed to keeping 105 last-in-town and remote branches open until at least October 2021. 

This year, Barclays has closed its locations in Berwick and Hexham, Northumberland, Northallerton, and Gateshead Team Valley. 

They are also set to close their branch in Richmond, North Yorkshire. 

From September, the nearest branch for those living in Barnard Castle will be Darlington, a 16.5-mile drive away. 

A sign on the windows of the Barnard Castle site confirms it will close at 12pm on September 11, with the date now also listed on the bank's website. 

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It adds: "We're changing the way we support you in Barnard Castle. We'll still be part of your community, look out for details coming soon.

"You can visit any Post Office to withdraw and pay in cash, pay in cheques and check your balance.

"You can also use cash machines on the LINK network to withdraw cash and check your balance."