Whitchurch Town Council has expressed its 'disappointment' at the decision of the building society chain Halifax to close its branch in the town.

Many of Halifax's branches across the UK will be closed and the bank will be closing it's Whitchurch branch in Green End on Thursday, November 17.

The closest branches for customers from Whitchurch are in Wrexham and Crewe. Halifax is part of the Lloyds Banking Group.

Whitchurch Town Council said the town was losing another major brand from the high street again. It leaves Whitchurch with only one remaining bank – TSB in Watergate – plus a post office branch for paying in cash.

The town clerk, Mike McDonald said: "I understand that this is one of many closures across the country following a wholesale review of their branch network in the face of changing customer habits.

"It is a commercial matter for them. However, once again Whitchurch is set to lose a major high street name and inevitably we are very disappointed to hear this news.

"Perhaps those who wish to access a physical branch in order to undertake their banking transactions will look to do so at one of the remaining brands who will continue to support the town with a presence."

The bank defended its decision and said the use of high street banks has gone down in recent years.

It explained: "Like many other high street businesses, we've seen people using our branches less frequently in recent years as more customers choose to do most of their everyday banking online.

"We’re responding to the way our customers use our branches.

"We’ll continue to invest in our branch network, but we have to make sure our branches are where customers need and use them most.

"As a result, we've made the difficult decision to close this branch because customers are using it less often.

"In addition the majority of customers are also using alternative ways to bank."

The bank said customers in Whitchurch would be able to use other branches and added the one in Wrexham would be the nearest.

A spokesperson added: "You can use any of our branches and our nearest alternative is the Wrexham branch.

"You can also use a post office for everyday banking.

"And for a short period of time after the branch closes we still plan to have a community banker visit this area.

"They can offer support and guidance on the ways you can bank with us.

"We are still here to support you and there are a number of ways you can bank with us."