The announcement that a Bridport town centre bank is to close has been described as a 'two-fingered salute to customers'.

The closure of Bridport's branch of HSBC is 'very disappointing' and has left customers 'disgruntled', a town council spokesman said.

It comes after Barclays’ Bridport branch shut its doors in March 2019. 

Bridport is among five Dorset high streets set to lose its HSBC bank next year under a plan to close 114 branches across the country.

The bank, at 17 East Street, is earmarked for closure on May 23.

Last year Bridport's branch of HSBC was kept open as the bank announced it would be shutting 82 branches in the UK between April and September 2021.

But HSBC now says footfall at many branches is at an all-time low and that 97.5 per cent of transactions are now done digitally.

The Dorset branches earmarked for closure are: Blandford, April 18; Shaftesbury, April 25; Bridport, May 23; Christchurch, July 25; Dorchester, August 22;

HSBC said it would invest tens of millions of pounds in improving its remaining branches, with Bournemouth due for a refurbishment in the first half of the year.

Bridport Town Clerk Will Austin said: "This is very disappointing news for Bridport, and particularly for people in our isolated rural area that do not have ready access to technology as the bank's proposed alternative.

"The bank's glib comments about provision of tablet computers and pop-up events to support customers, simply brush aside the impact on these people.

"We know they may be in the minority but we also know they are likely to be among the most vulnerable in our community for example older people, people living in poverty, and people with learning difficulties.

"I was also struck by the bank's statement that it is investing millions in improving other branches, with the nearest example being 45 miles away in Bournemouth."

He said that residents found when Barclays closed that none of those initiatives help people who rely on their bank branch.

Mr Austin added: "I've been asked today why banks don't use a bit of imagination to help such people, perhaps by working together to maintain a local presence.

"Someone else asked if they would contribute to provision of a bus service to get customers to another branch.

"If only HSBC had carried out any kind of consultation with us ahead of the closure announcement, I might at least have been able to get answers to these questions. Instead, we're left dealing with disgruntled customers, one of whom described the news to me as being "a two-fingered salute to their customers in Bridport."

Jackie Uhi, HSBC UK's managing director of UK distribution, said people are changing the way they bank.

She added: "Footfall in many branches is at an all-time low, with no signs of it returning.

"Banking remotely is becoming the norm for the vast majority of us."

"In addition to our branch network, customers can access services through the Post Office network, our Community Pop-ups and soon-to-come Banking Hubs, alongside Live Chat, social media and through telephone banking."