STUDLEY residents have been dealt a further blow with the news that the Lloyds Bank branch, the only bank in the village, will close.

The shock announcement comes just weeks after the closure of the Studley branch of HSBC in Alcester Road.

A petition was launched against the closure of HSBC, which collected more than 500 signatures, but could not stop it from shutting.

HSBC Bosses said the branch had been declining in recent years, with 81 per cent of contact the bank has with its customers being over the phone.

“We never take the decision to close a branch lightly, and we understand it’s unsettling for the local community," they added.

Now in a further nail in the coffin of the village The Lloyds Bank branch will be closing on July 27.

It means residents will be forced to travel to either Redditch or Alcester for their nearest bank.

A spokesman from Lloyds Bank Said: “We have made the difficult decision to close this branch in July because of changing customer behaviours, resulting in customers using it less often.

"The way customers fulfil their banking needs is continuing to change and we have seen a significant decline in customers using this branch.

"Customers can continue to use any other branch in our network and the local post office is a short distance away where customers can manage their day-to-day banking needs.

"We apologise for any inconvenience that this may cause and have informed customers of the closest alternative branch, which is in Redditch.”