A SHOP owner has predicted long queues for cashpoints if a popular tourist town is left with only one bank.

Natwest has revealed plans to close its Hay-on-Wye branch from October leaving only Barclays left in the border town.

This follows HSBC's decision to close its branch in the town earlier this year.

Shop owner and Hay-on-Wye Chamber of Commerce Chairman, Andrew Williams, says that traders have asked Natwest to re-consider the closure.

He said: "In terms of principle we are against any bank closures in the area and practically we can lobby Natwest to make sure our views are heard.

"As a community which does have a large number of tourists every year we don't want to see local businesses suffer.

"During festival time we already have long queues for cashpoints and we have already lost one with HSBC so we don't want to lose another one. It would mean a very big job making visitors aware that they can get cash back at certain businesses.

"Local businesses can also install their own cash machines so we need to make the location of the remaining machines very clear. We don't want people looking for non-existent cash machines outside empty buildings.

"In the first instance we will ask the bank to think again but I'm not convinced that will happen. With Barclays only open three days a week it puts a lot of pressure on the post office and I hope it doesn't get to the stage when day in day out there are queues out of the door and we have people waiting 10 minutes to buy a stamp."

The closure would leave four cash machines remaining within the town centre.

A spokesman for Natwest said that the closure was due to a decline in transactions of 37 per cent since 2011 with 53.9 per cent of customers choosing to use their digital banking options.

"We are communicating with our customers affected by the closures and proactively contacting vulnerable and regular branch customers," said the Natwest spokesman.

Natwest have revealed plans to introduce a mobile branch service for the community and the bank is currently asking the local community the best day and time for the mobile branch to visit.

Hay-on-Wye County Councillor Gareth Ratcliffe added: “NatWest’s own figures say that 53.9 per cent of their Hay customers are actively choosing to use digital banking options, but what about the other 46.1 per cent.

"Internet banking is not suitable or even possible for many residents and it is devastating that another bank is turning its back on the wonderful town of Hay.

“I am also concerned about the impact this will have on cashpoints in the town. Access to cash is already an issue so I will be urging NatWest to keep their cashpoint open in Hay even if we cannot save the branch.”