Bosses at Lloyds are being “strenuously urged” to review the decision to close Romney Marsh’s only bank.

The New Romney branch will shut in November, meaning customers will have to travel for miles to reach the next closest bank.

The closure was announced in July this year, and sparked outrage at the time.

Now, members of New Romney Town Council have penned an open letter to the banking chain, highlighting their concerns on the closure’s impact on residents.

The next closest Lloyds banks are either 20 minutes away in Hythe, or 30 minutes away in Ashford, which the council says is inconvenient for residents who do not drive.

The letter reads: “New Romney Town Council is extremely concerned to have been alerted to your planned closure of the Lloyds Bank, New Romney branch.

“This decision stands to have a serious detrimental impact on residents of New Romney and the wider rural Romney Marsh area serviced by this branch.

“Lloyds Bank in New Romney High Street is the only surviving banking institution to have a local presence in this area.

“New Romney has a large elderly population and, as a rural coastal town, is very isolated and suffers from pockets of deprivation, including transport and internet poverty, which will make it extremely difficult for many residents - not only from New Romney but also from across Romney Marsh, to manage their finances without a physical banking facility within the town.”

The letter adds that there “does not appear to have been adequate consultation with local residents and account holders” over the decision.

The letter continues: “It is important, therefore, that questions are raised regarding this decision and that everything possible is done to ensure that New Romney and the wider Romney Marsh is not left without a local banking facility.

“You are strenuously urged to review this decision in light of the immense difficulties this would create for many elderly, disabled or otherwise vulnerable residents of New Romney and the wider Romney Marsh.”

'This decision stands to have a serious detrimental impact on residents of New Romney and the wider rural Romney Marsh area serviced by this branch'

After the announcement in July about the closure, ward councillor David Wimble, who is also Folkestone and Hythe District Council’s cabinet member for the economy, said it is outrageous customers will have to travel so far to use a Lloyds.

He said: “Being the only bank in the High Street, and not just New Romney but for the whole Marsh, it’s outrageous that some people who don’t have internet banking will now have to go to Folkestone or Ashford.

“The fact that they can use the Post Office doesn’t help a lot of them because sometimes they want to draw out more than £300, which is the limit at the Post Office.

“More importantly, for businesses it’s going to really hit them because they won’t be able to bank their money. The Post Office will charge them for taking their money.”

Bosses at the bank said the decision to close the High Street branch was taken after a review which found in-person transactions have fallen by around two-thirds in the space of five years.

It also confirmed that no jobs will be lost when the branch closes and employees will either be moved to a role at another branch or to another part of the business.

“Visits to our New Romney branch have fallen over recent years, as many customers now choose to bank in different ways,” a spokesman said.“When the branch closes in November, customers can continue to bank in person at the Post Office on the High Street and can access cash at a number of free ATMs nearby. “Our colleagues are supporting customers and guiding on all the ways to bank with us.”

After the closure, the firm also plans for a “community banker” to visit to continue offering support to customers.