Santander users 'bitterly disappointed' by closure

Residents of a Bedfordshire town have expressed their disappointment and sadness at the proposed closure of its Santander bank.

The bank, which has its headquarters in Milton Keynes, has announced it is set to close 95 branches across the UK, including Dunstable.

Santander branches in Borehamwood and Hertford are set to close in July but there is no closure date yet for Dunstable.

Carolyn Cooper, 77, from the town, said the move would affect older people who found it difficult to travel to other branches and may not have access to online banking.

A new banking hub for Dunstable has been recommended by Link, which oversees the UK's cash machine network.

A hub is similar to a traditional bank branch, but the space is shared by multiple banks.

Dunstable lost its NatWest branch in 2023 and Lloyds has confirmed it will be shutting its branch in the town later this year.

Trev Savery, 69, from Dunstable, said he did not have online banking and needed a local bank.

"It is nice to go into Santander and talk to someone, get issues resolved, they have always done that for me," he said.

Mr Savery said he was "bitterly disappointed" at the closure and added: "It is a sad indictment of the whole banking system."

Rezvan Conti, 43, who runs Amici cafe in the town's High Street, said he would lose customers "who come in to have a coffee or have breakfast after using the bank".

Santander said the changes were due to a "a rapid movement of customers choosing to do their banking digitally".

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