A councillor has expressed dismay at the planned closure of a Long Stratton bank and is urging bosses to rethink their decision.

Barclays has announced it will close its branch on Ipswich Road on Friday September 18.

The bank said they regretted the decision to close which was made after a decline in the overall use of the branch by 47 percent in the last seven years.

Kevin Worsley, South Norfolk councillor for the Long Stratton ward, said: 'I am very disappointed to hear this news. With the forecasted growth in Long Stratton, this decision seams very short-sighted. I urge Barclays to reconsider.'

The bank has written to all its customers to tell them of the closure and advise them on alternative banking options.

The move comes as 1,800 new homes are planned for the village as part of the Long Stratton Area Action Plan, which includes the long awaited A140 Bypass.

Barclays confirmed the planned developments were taken into consideration as part of the decision.

Chris Channell, Acting Community Leader for Barclays Norfolk and Suffolk, said: 'At Barclays Long Stratton branch, customer usage has declined and many of our customers now regularly use alternative branches, which is why we have taken the difficult decision to close the branch.

'We hope that the availability of nearby branches at Harleston, Diss and Eaton, access to services at the local Post Office and our range of digital channels will help to ease the transition for our customers as we move out of the Long Stratton branch.'

Three members of staff who are employed at the branch will move to other nearby branches.

Jonathan Clemo, chief executive of Norfolk Rural Community Council, said: 'The key thing absolutely for us is service access and in some ways with the increase of online banking some services have improved in rural areas.'

Mr Clemo stressed that their predominant concern about any rural bank closure was ensuring that all members of the community could access the services they need.

He said: 'Small local businesses often rely on a branch. If they have to travel further there may be a significant business cost.'

The bank have said they will be working with customers, businesses and the wider community to discuss the alternative ways customers will be able to undertake their banking locally.