BARCLAYS bank has promised no staff will lose their jobs when it closes two South Oxfordshire branches in the next five months.

Barclays bank in Wheatley will close on November 20 and Barclays Watlington will close on October 23.

The firm said the number of people using the store at Watlington had declined by 53 per cent since 2008, and 49 per cent of customers in that area regularly used alternative branches.

It also said there had been an 11 per cent reduction in people using the Wheatley branch in the last year alone.

Barclays promised yesterday that no staff would lose their jobs, saying all workers would be given the opportunity to work at a “nearby” branch.

The company urged any customers concerned about the changes to get in touch to discuss alternative banking arrangements.

Community leader for Barclays Oxford and Chilterns Mark Jones said: “The way customers undertake their banking is changing as people increasingly use online, telephone and mobile devices. We must therefore evolve the shape and size of our branch network in response to changing customer behaviour.

“We hope the availability of branches at Wallingford, Thame, Headington, Cowley, Oxford City, access to services at the local Post Office and our range of digital channels will help to ease the transition. We do not take the decision to close any branch lightly and we are committed to adhering to the new UK Government protocol on branch closures.”

He said all customers registered at the two branches would receive a letter about the closure.