Residents' concerns over village bank

NatWest closed its Storrington branch in June and has since provided a weekly ‘mobile’ bank bus.

But residents say that the bus “keeps not turning up” and that the lack of service is “unacceptable.”

A mobile bank is scheduled to arrive in the village’s library car park at 11.45am every Thursday. Customers have an hour, until 12.45pm, to conduct their banking business before the mobile bank moves on an onward journey to Arundel.

One resident said: “It keeps not turning up and no one is advised.” She added: “It’s not going to be fair when the weather changes for the elderly to stand in the rain etc for nothing. How are they supposed to get their weekly pension out?”

A NatWest spokesperson said that the mobile bank had missed only two sessions since the service was introduced. She said: “The Mobile Bank is due in Storrington is available at the library carpark every Thursday from 11.45 to 12.45. Since August, the mobile branch has missed two sessions, due to unforeseen circumstances, and regular customers were called and informed of this.

“The local Community Banker has a drop in session at the library every Friday between 10.30 – 12.30, and customers can bank at the Post Office, a five minute walk away from where the mobile branch stops, which is open Monday – Saturday.

“If the mobile branch is delayed, it may be due to congested traffic in the area.”