A bank in Barking town centre will be closing this summer.

The NatWest branch in East Street is to shut on July 11. 

It comes as the banking firm announced 79 of its in-store bank branches would be disappearing from high streets across England. 

In a report published to its website, NatWest claimed that an average of 129 business customers a month used the branch in 2023, with only five personal customers using the branch weekly last year.

It reported that it saw counter transactions for personal customers fall by 68 per cent from January 2019 to January 2023. 

NatWest wrote: "With the ease of mobile and online banking fewer people are coming into the bank.

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"This means we’ve had to make some tough choices about which can stay open. So, we want to make sure that we keep the branches people are using most."

Customers can continue to bank with the online banking app, or can alternatively visit other nearby branches. 

Alternative branches include the East Ham bank in High Street North, or the Ilford Branch in Ilford Hill.