THE ageing population of Grange will suffer if one of the town's last remaining banks shuts, a mayor has warned.

Bosses at Barclays, based on Main Street, have announced it is due to shut its doors on May 1, leaving Grange with only one bank.

Customers with Barclays will now have to travel to Kendal to get to their nearest branch - 13 miles away.

Mayor Peter Endsor said he was ‘shocked’ that a bank was set to close in the town.

“I only got back from holiday on the weekend and to receive news like this has shocked me to say the least,” he said.

“Grange has an ageing population and many residents will suffer because the nearest Barclays is now in Kendal.

“Everything is moving online and it is a sign of the times, but a lot of people here still use banks.

“It will be another empty building in the town and I will be doing my best to find out the reasons why and if there is anything we can do about it.”

Margaret Wilkinson, who lives in Grange, said the closure of the bank would make it impossible for some locals to use Barclays and will have to change banks.

“Grange has an old population and some residents will not be able to travel 13 miles to Kendal,” she said.

“I firmly believe that people will have no choice but to change who they bank with because they simply can’t get to Kendal.

“I don’t know how to bank online so I will have to travel to Kendal - which I don’t mind - but some people will not be happy.”

Kay Eccles, community banking director for Barclays in Cumbria and North Lancashire, said: “The way customers undertake their banking is changing as people increasingly use online, telephone and mobile devices.

“At Barclays Grange-over-Sands branch customer usage has continued to decline and 49 per cent of our customers now regularly use alternative branches.

“This is why we have taken the difficult decision to close it.

“We hope that the availability of our other Barclays branches and access to services at the local post office located at Main Street, along with our range of digital channels will help to ease the transition for our customers.”