Soozi Parker chose to bank with NatWest because its Borough Green branch is near to her home in Vigo, where she runs her coaching and team-building business.

She travels the world training staff at blue-chip companies but had several reasons for banking locally when she set up New Hat Thinking a decade ago.

“Not only could I easily pay in cheques when picking up the kids from school but I could just pop in to speak to a real person,” she said.

“As I travel overseas a lot, I can pick up my foreign currency nearby rather than slogging into Bluewater or Maidstone.”

That convenience will now be swept away as NatWest has announced it will close the branch this year.

It is a growing trend in the banking sector, which is still hurting from the financial crisis and fines from regulators for misbehaviour. The big four banks have closed more than 1,500 retail branch locations since 2014.

Mrs Parker said: “I know everything has moved online but many clients, especially schools, still prefer to pay by cheque, which needs to be physically taken to the bank.

“I think it is sad that we are losing our local banks, which have always been an important part of the community and encourage people to visit local villages.”

Last month, Lloyds Banking Group announced it was pulling out of four towns in Kent as part of 100 branch closures nationally, resulting in more than 200 job losses across the country.

Between July and October, it will shut Lloyds sites in Broadstairs, Hawkhurst, New Ash Green and Tenterden.

The bank blamed the move on the falling number of customers using its locations and doing business online.

The shutdowns are part of 200 closures announced in July last year – when Lloyds confirmed it was cutting 3,000 jobs.

Pierre Haincourt runs debt-collection business Credit Limits International in Oare, near Faversham. He said the closure of his local bank would damage his firm.

“It would be an issue for us as we have a great deal of over-the-counter work,” he said.

“Being debt collectors, we have a large number of cheques. We also often take large amounts of cash out, which cannot be done by ATM.”

Local closures could lead to greater delays, which would cost small firms money, according to Annabelle Webster, business development manager at preservation firm South East Timber & Damp in Woodchurch, near Tenterden.

She said: “Already, the Tenterden branch of NatWest can have a queue of 10 clients waiting to speak to cashiers.

“Being debt collectors, we have a large number of cheques. We also often take large amounts of cash out, which cannot be done by ATM...” - Pierre Haincourt, Credit Limits International

“What will it mean if you are joining a queue in a replacement like the Post Office and it is a peak time?

“With 10 people in front of you – and some with complex matters – this could be a lengthy wait.”

Campaigners like the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) are applying pressure on banks to keep rural branches open.

Robin Edwards, South East director of the CLA, said: “Whilst many businesses are moving to online banking, the need for rural businesses to visit branches remains high, as many of their diversification ventures need cash to operate on a daily basis.

“There are plans for mobile banking services, which are welcomed, but these have to be regular and located with other existing services such as post offices to keep rural villages vibrant.”