PEOPLE in a County Durham village have been reassured that plans to curtail the opening hours of their local bank are not a precursor to its closure.

Villagers in Middleton-in-Teesdale were worried that the local Barclays branch had been scheduled for closure after it was announced it would be shutting for two days a week from the beginning of this month.

A meeting of representatives from Teesdale District Council and Barclays Bank this week heard there were no plans to close the branch in the foreseeable future.

Linda Fishburn, Barclays' retail leader for Darlington and North Yorkshire, said it was not the bank's policy to close a branch in any village if it was the sole banking facility.

Middleton councillor and farmers' liaison worker for the Upper Teesdale Agricultural Support Service, Councillor Richard Betton, chaired the meeting.

He said he felt the meeting had been productive but was disappointed the bank would still only open on three days a week.

He said: "I would have liked a cast-iron guarantee they were going to stay open instead of 'for the foreseeable future', but they said they were not in a position to give that.

"The loss of a bank in Middleton would have huge effects. Although this outcome is not what we wanted ideally, I suppose it is the next best thing, because the door's open for restoring the opening times."

The reduction in hours came about because the bank had seen a 78 per cent decrease in use last year.

If the number of customers visiting the bank increased, there was nothing to prevent a reversion to five-days-a- week opening, said Ms Fishburn.

Karen Swainston, Barclays' regional liaison manager, said: "We are already looking at the feasibility of providing a cashpoint machine at the Middleton branch."

The bank is open on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays.