A town centre bank has permanently closed its doors.

NatWest in Strood High Street shut today with the bank blaming the huge increase in online and mobile banking and the decline of customers using its counter service.

The announcement was made last November.

Its closure will also impact people living on the Hoo Peninsula where there is a growing population and no banks.

The bank’s Rochester branch closed in June 2017 and the Gillingham one shut in June 2022.

It means the nearest NatWest is now in Chatham High Street, around two miles away.

Lloyds Bank also announced last year it will be shutting its Strood store on April 4.

The Barclays in the town shut in 2021, and the HSBC permanently closed in 2022.

Nationwide will be the last national bank remaining in Strood after April. It has pledged to keep the branch open until at least 2026.

Most everyday banking services will still be able to be done at Strood Post Office in North Street.

In December, Kelly Tolhurst, MP for Rochester and Strood, said she was disappointed with the decision.

Speaking at the time, she said: “Ultimately, they are private organisations and they’re there to fulfil a service for their customers.

“However they do have a responsibility, we believe, to their customers and the wider access to cash.”