BARCLAYS has come under fire after it was revealed that Shirley is to lose another of its banks.

The branch at Shirley Road is due to close on July 9 after what Barclays describes as a sharp rise in the number of customers switching to telephone or online banking.

It comes just weeks after Santander unveiled plans to axe 111 of its branches across the country, including two in Southampton.

The Shirley High Street branch is due to close on July 8, followed closely by the Bitterne Road facility on August 5.

Reacting to the announcement made by Barclays, Alan Whitehead, Labour MP for Southampton Test, said: "It is a real shame to lose yet another local high street bank.

"Barclays of course argue that the way people are banking has changed.

"However, a lot of people who use this branch will not be able to move seamlessly to online or telephone banking and will be at a disadvantage as banks close more and more of their physical locations."

Royston Smith, Tory MP for Southampton Itchen, added: "This is particularly disappointing news especially on the back of Santander’s recent announcement.

"My first thoughts are with those whose jobs could be threatened.

"I hope banks aren’t going to use the pandemic as a way to further slim down physical provision for my constituents.”

In a statement Barclays said the number of counter transactions had gone down in the last two years, with 90% of its branch customers using other ways to do their banking.

It also claimed that 54% of its Shirley customers had begun using nearby branches since this time last year.

The statement added: "We’ve identified that only 74 customers use this branch exclusively for their banking.

"Proposals to close any branch are made by the Barclays local leadership teams and verified at a national level ahead of any closure announcement.

"Many people are choosing to bank differently, and these changes inform our decisions.

"Before we make the decision to close any branch, we think carefully about how it has been used so far.

"We consider how many customers have been visiting, what kind of transactions they've been making, and all the other ways they've been choosing to bank with us.

"We also take into consideration the availability of other branches in the wider community."