More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
The Co-operative Bank has permanently closed two of its branches in north Kent – with the nearest now up to 70 miles away for some customers.
Dartford's Hythe Street and Chatham's Pentagon Shopping Centre stores both shut last week.
The nearest physical branch for customers is now Lewisham in south London, approximately 25 miles away from Chatham and 12 miles from Dartford.
It means the bank now has no branches in Kent - meaning if you are a customer on the coast you'll face a drive of 70 miles to south London.
North Kent branches were identified for closure based upon a range of considerations, including the availability of alternative banking facilities and customer footfall.
The banking group pointed out a continuing shift towards more customers banking online, with fewer transactions taking place in-store.
As part of the decision, the Co-op assessed the Dartford and Chatham branches over a 12-month period between January and December last year to determine its long term future.
Across its high street network, the Co-op Bank found transactions had fallen by 6%, as customers looked for "alternative ways of managing their accounts".
But of the customers who used the Chatham branch around 60% visited in just one or two months during that period. And in Dartford just under 60% used the branch in just one or two months during the same time.
Of those who used Medway's Military Road store in the last 12 months, 65% are registered for online banking and around 30% are registered for mobile banking. In Dartford, those figures were 58% and 27% respectively.
The majority of those relying on the physical high street shops were aged between 35 and 65 years.
The move comes as part of a cost-cutting measure originally announced by the Co-operative in August to "rebuild" and "reshape" the bank, reducing its network from 68 to 50 and putting 350 jobs at risk.
The Co-op Bank's then chief executive, Andrew Bester, said he was "very sorry" for the closures before stepping down after just over two years in charge.
He said: "We're not immune to the impact of recent events, with the historically low base rate affecting the income of all banks and a period of prolonged economic uncertainty ahead, which means it's important we reduce costs and have the right-sized operating model in place for the future.
"We are responding to the continuing shift of more and more customers choosing to bank online, with lower levels of transactions in branches, a trend which has been increasing for some time, across the banking sector and more broadly."
The Co-op Bank says it has since been proactively engaging customers to discuss online and mobile banking, Post Office services, contactless payments, and fraud and scams that they should be aware.
It follows an increasing trend towards the digitalisation of banking services and the closure of high street banks.
In September, TSB, which still has 6 banks in Kent, announced it was to close 164 branches nationwide – although its Chatham and Bluewater branches were not among those facing the axe.
