THE only bank in a town near Ludlow is set to close its doors for three weeks while  the branch undergoes a minor refresh including internal building work.

The HSBC branch in Bishop's Castle will close for "essential maintenance" from 2pm on Monday (September 18) and is expected to reopen at 9.30am on Tuesday, October 10.

Customers have been advised to access some HSBC services at the town's Post Office in Church Street or 17 miles away and over the Welsh border in Newtown.

Daniella Rudd, local HSBC director for the area, said: “We continue to invest in our branch network to make our customers’ experience banking with us a good one.

"We are pleased that our Bishop’s Castle branch is getting a minor refresh, with some painting, new signage and other internal changes being made in preparation for some state-of-the-art cash machines that will be introduced later this year.

Ludlow Advertiser: Daniella Rudd, HSBC's local director for the Bishop's Castle area

“We have been talking to customers about the temporary closure for the last month, and while we are having the work done people can continue to use their nearest Post Office for day-to-day transactions, plus mobile and online banking is available 24/7 in addition to being able to call our contact centre. Customers can find the best number on the back of their debit or credit card.

“We look forward to welcoming our customers back soon.”

People can access their bank accounts on the HSBC mobile app, by visiting the hsbc.co.uk website or over the phone by calling 03457 404 404 for personal customers or 03457 60 60 60 for business customers.

HSBC was granted planning permission by Shropshire Council in April to replace the existing cash machine and install a new ATM machine "to account for an increase in functionality” and replace the signage.