ELLESMERE'S town mayor Councillor Paul Goulbourne has said that it comes as a bitter blow to the town to hear that the TSB Bank is going to close in the new year.

The mayor added that he believes the bank, in The Square and the last bank in Ellesmere, will be another large empty building in the town.

He has assured residents that the town council intends to support any initiative to stop this closure and to maintain a much-needed service.

"To support our town as a sustainable market town, it is essential that we do stop any further demise of our services," he said.

"We have already lost the police station; we do not intend to lose our bank.

“Ellesmere has an ageing population and many residents will find it very difficult to access banking services because the nearest TSB branch is in Oswestry, a bus ride away.

"Small businesses in the town, many who changed to the TSB when the HSBC and NatWest closed, will also struggle with the practicalities of daily banking.”

TSB Bank confirmed last week that the Ellesmere branch is one of the 164 branches across the UK which is set to close, and is earmarked for closure on February 10, 2021.

The Spanish-owned bank confirmed branches would be closing and 900 jobs would be lost.

A spokesman for TSB said the cuts have been driven by a significant shift in customer behaviour, including a reduction in the number of customers using branches.

They also stated the branches earmarked for closure have been selected to ensure 94 per cent of TSB customers can travel in 20 minutes or less to a branch.