BARCLAYS Bank closed its doors on Earby for the last time but not without incident.

A handful of protestors occupied the bank - the last in Earby - shortly before it was due to close at 4pm. It was partly a token protest at the closure, but it had another purpose too.

They were seeking assurances that Barclays wouldn't place any restrictions on the sale or lease of the building to prevent a rival bank moving into town to take it over. That is what they hope will happen, and there was even a hint that it could be a local credit union.

The Earby Branch wasn't the only one to close for the last time on Friday, with Barclays closing over 170 of its smaller branches across the UK.

Among the protestors in Earby were district councillors Doris Haigh and Alison Brewer, as well as the vicar of Earby, Rev Richard Wallace. Also there were former councillor Tim Haigh and Earby resident John Wickham, both extremely unhappy at the closure.

Any hopes of keeping the bank open beyond 4pm were dashed when a staff member emerged on the hour and closed them, locking the half-dozen protestors inside.

Outside, reporters and photographers from local newspapers and radio stations waited to see what would happen, watched by local traders and curious passers-by.

After 25 minutes the doors were opened again and the protestors emerged, thanking bank staff for their understanding attitude.

Acting as spokesman, John Wickham said they had talked with Barclays' area retail manager Mark Abbott, seeking an assurance over the future use of the Victoria Road premises. After a phone call to his bosses at head office, Mr Abbott returned to say Barclays had no plans to put restrictions on the sale of the building.

Mr Wickham said: "We got a positive response to our questions. Any actions we were to take were dependent on the answers to those questions."

One idea the protestors had was to ask the management to hand over the keys to the building, for safe keeping in the town. They admitted there was no realistic chance of that happening, but it would have been a token gesture.

Tim Haigh said: "The main point is we want it to remain a bank for the people of Earby, whoever operates it."

Mr Wickham added that he was a member of Colne and District Credit Union, which covers the Earby area, and it was currently on the lookout for premises.

"I will ask the credit union members if they would consider renting this property as a head office," he said. "Credit unions are becoming more involved with financial services, as more building societies convert to banks."

Coun Doris Haigh said she and others would be actively approaching rival banks in a bid to persuade them to come to Earby. One attraction would be the business park. Another would be the possibility of winning Pendle Council's substantial account.

The council, which banks solely with Barclays and has an annual budget of £11 million, has already written to the bank saying it might transfer to another bank in protest at the Earby closure. However, that cannot happen for another two years, when the contract between the council and Barclays is due for renewal.

One glimmer of hope announced on Friday was the deal struck between Barclays and the Post Office. It should lead to the provision of personal banking services through all Post Offices in England and Wales, including the one in Earby.

The deal follows a successful pilot scheme in Cornwall and priority would be given to areas like Earby where Barclays branches have recently been closed.

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