A BANK branch in Caversham will be closing its doors later this year.

Nationwide Building Society explained on its website that the Caversham branch on Church Street will be closing on Thursday, April 22, 2021.

Nationwide said the nearest branch to the one in Caversham is on 51 Broad Street in Reading which is 1.1 miles away.

There is also a Nationwide in Tilehurst on 100 School Road which is 3.6 miles away.

The bank explained as an "essential service" most of the branches have stayed open during lockdown but is asking people to only visit the branch "if it’s absolutely necessary".

A document on Nationwide's website explained why the Caversham branch is closing.

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It said: "There are lots of things we have to consider when we’re looking at closing a branch.

"And it’s never a decision that’s taken lightly.

"Firstly, we look at how it’s being used, how many members have visited over 12 months, what kind of transactions have been made and what other ways those branch members have been choosing to bank with us; online, on the phone or in one of our other branches.

"Even before the coronavirus changed so much of our day-to-day lives, this branch was not being used by enough members to make it viable.

"Secondly, with older branches like Caversham, we have to think about how much money we’d need to spend on the branch to bring it up to date for our members and our colleagues.

"Where costs are high, we choose not to spend our members’ money if there’s a better alternative."

The bank said it is working with the community to understand the impact of closing the branch.

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It said it is speaking to community representatives in the local council including local MPs.

The bank has also written to branch members to let them know it is closing and the branch team is speaking to members in branch to explain the options they have.