THE failure of the NatWest mobile banking van to turn up in Berkeley for its last three scheduled visits has been slammed as 'unacceptable' by a local councillor.

The mobile bank visits Berkeley every other Thursday following the closure of the town's branch in 2015.

However, it has not turned up for its past three expected visits.

Customers were not notified that it would not be coming and so waited outside for its arrival.

Berkeley town councillor Liz Ashton said: "A few years ago, I led a campaign to keep the Nat West Bank in Berkeley open. Despite huge support, the bank closed anyway.

"The only concession we could get from them was the promise of a weekly visit from a mobile branch.

"Since the lockdown, this has been reduced to fortnightly visits.

"However, for the past three expected dates, the bank has failed to arrive.

"Regular customers were not been informed that the bank wasn’t coming so they waited round for ages in vain.

"If it was the case that staff had Covid or other illness, customers would be sympathetic, but the failure to notify them or apologise is unacceptable."

A spokeswoman for NatWest said: "There has been a temporary disruption in our ability to operate this route.

"We apologise for this inconvenience and are working to rectify this as soon as possible.

"In the meantime we continue to offer customers a range of alternative ways to bank including at the local post office, through our online and mobile app."

She added: "We have a dedicated support line set up for customers who are over 60 or are in a period of extended isolation. It's managed by a dedicated team of customer care experts and is open from 8am – 8pm, seven days a week. Call us on 0800 051 4177."