A Highland community has made a last ditch plea to a major bank to scrap its proposals to slash opening hours at a “lifeline” branch.
Bank of Scotland is due to reduce the hours in three Sutherland branches – Bonar Bridge, Helmsdale and Dornoch – from December 7.
Major concerns have been raised in Bonar Bridge, where opening hours will be cut from 13 hours to five hours on a Tuesday.
The nearest branch is Lairg – 11 miles away – but this only opens on Monday and Thursday, meaning residents will have to travel a 30-mile round trip to Dornoch or Tain to conduct business face-to-face on a Wednesday and Friday.
There are fears that older and disabled people, and those on low incomes, will feel the brunt of the reduced hours, and that local businesses will also suffer if tourists go elsewhere to bank.
Bank of Scotland said it was reducing the hours due to lower demand in line with the changing customer behaviour to online banking services.
Changes will not result in any redundancies and staff will be redeployed to busier branches if needed.
Campaigner Michael Baird, who shares a front door with the bank in Bonar Bridge, said: “We are at the stage now where we are trying any approach we can to stop this from happening.
“It is definitely a lifeline service because for many people, it is the last thing they have got available, especially older people who go there to collect their pensions and pay their bills. The Post Office does not give them any privacy. Many older people may not have access to a vehicle or a computer or a good broadband connection. It could take them half a day to do a simple job if they have to go through to Tain.”
Pete Campbell, chairman of Creich Community Council, said: “The service is vital. It is just one more nail in the coffin of a rural community and it makes it that much more difficult.
“So much effort has been made by so many people to keep this village alive through the work of he Kyle of Sutherland Development Trust, and that becomes an extremely difficult job when something like this happens. It is a real shame.”
Current opening hours in Bonar Bridge are from 9:15am-4:45pm on a Tuesday and Friday – but from next Monday this will be reduced to 10am-3pm on Tuesday only.
Opening hours in Dornoch will be cut from a full, five-day week to Monday, Thursday and Friday from 10am-3pm.
In Helmsdale the hours will be cut from two days to one full day a week.