Elderly and disabled people fear looming bank closures may leave them cut off from online services and vulnerable to muggings.

NatWest announced in November that its branch in Willesden Green will close on February 27, claiming just two personal customers used the Station Parade branch regularly in 2022.

A resident who has lived in the area for more than 40 years has called on the bank to withdraw its closure notice, saying the elderly, disabled, and those with mobility issues will be worst hit.

In a letter to the Wembley Matters blog, the anonymous writer said she is scared of using cash points and can not access online banking.

She said: “People of my generation don’t use the cashpoint outside the bank for fear of being mugged and instead use the cashpoint inside the bank. If we have to use the outside cashpoint we feel insecure and fearful. Someone I know was mugged when withdrawing money at the cashpoint and theft takes place even during daytime.”

She added: “At the moment I am just about able to do online banking but some people don’t have internet access. I am unable to use a mobile phone app, which NatWest offers as an alternative. I suspect many other elderly people are in the same situation.”

The writer said it would be "difficult or impossible" for the elderly or disabled to travel to branches in Kilburn or Golders Green – as suggested by NatWest – and pointed out the importance of local branches with staff who know customers.

She said: “On one occasion I visited the bank with a builder who had done some work for me and needed a cash payment. The cashier leaned over to me and whispered, ‘Are you okay? You are giving him a lot of money’.”

Charity Age UK says branch closures and the rise of digital banking have put the many older people "at risk of being unable to manage their own money" and could lead them being "cut adrift from society".

The Lloyds branch is also expected to close the following month, on March 21, leaving just Barclays in High Road left in Willesden Green.

In a joint letter to Lloyds and NatWest, Willesden Green ward councillors Saqhain Choudry, Janice Long and Tom Miller called the closures "deeply disappointing" and asked for cash machine operator LINK to open a ‘banking hub’ so customers of all banks have a physical premises.

The councillors said: “Willesden Green has now fallen victim to the surge of branch closures that is blighting local small businesses, the elderly, and other vulnerable groups.”

At the time of the closure announcement, a spokesperson for NatWest said: “As with many industries, most of our customers are shifting to mobile and online banking because it’s faster and easier for people to manage their financial lives.

We understand and recognise that digital solutions aren’t right for everyone or every situation, and that when we close branches we have to make sure that no one is left behind. We take our responsibility seriously to support the people who face challenges in moving online, so we are investing to provide them with support and alternatives that work for them.”