A MOBILE banking service that was put in place after NatWest closed its Wellington branch nearly five years ago has been taken off the road for repairs.

Wellington Weekly reader Chris Penney said the mobile bank had failed to turn up for two weeks in a row, with customers at first told it was due to a positive Covid test and then that there was a ‘mechanical issue’.

Mr Penney said at the same time the cash machine in the lobby of Lloyds Bank, in Fore Street, had been closed outside of banking hours for nearly two months.

NatWest was the second of three banks to close its branch in the town, the others being HSBC and Barclays, leaving just Lloyds with a physical presence.

Katie McCracken, spokeswoman for NatWest’s retail banking services, said the mobile banking van had been ‘temporarily’ removed for repairs to the vehicle and would return ‘very shortly’.

She said: “We apologise for this inconvenience and we continue to work with our suppliers to resume our service as quickly as possible.

“In the meantime, we continue to offer customers a range of alternative ways to bank including at the local Post Office, and through our online and mobile app.”

Ms McCracken said NatWest had proactively contacted regular customers to keep them informed of the situation.

The Lloyds cash machine has been inaccessible when the bank has been closed because of a fault with an inside door.

The bank said it was ‘waiting for parts’ for the door to be repaired.