WEAVER Vale MP Mike Amesbury has launched a petition calling on Barclays bank bosses to think twice about closing their Frodsham branch.

The company has announced plans to axe its Main Street branch on February 23 in what would be the latest in a spate of closures in  the town, including HSBC last year and Natwest in October.

Mr Amesbury headed to Frodsham market with campaigners and staff to canvas for signatures, with more than 70 people adding their names to a petition in just over an hour.

Mr Amesbury has also written to the chief executive of Barclays and business secretary Greg Clark calling for an urgent rethink.

The MP said: “That we collected so many signatures in such a short space of time shows you the strength of feeling about this proposed closure.

“High street banks are an important part of our high street, and when you factor in the fact people in Frodsham will be expected to travel as far afield as Widnes – including paying to cross the Mersey Gateway bridge – or go all the way to Stockton Heath to use a Barclays branch if this one closes, it shows you just how big an impact this will have if it goes ahead.”

Mr Amesbury added: ““Also, there were a lot of people using the Barclays cashpoint on market day, so just think of the negative impact the loss of yet another one will have on businesses in Frodsham?

“This closure is not acceptable and it’s something I’ll continue to oppose over the coming weeks and months.”

Lisa McCormick, Barclays 

community banking director for the area, has previously explained the reason for the closure is due to a decline in customers using the branch, as more and more people which to online banking. She has suggested other Barclays 

branches at Widnes Simms Cross, Stockton Heath and Ellesmere Port as alternatives, while there is access to services at the Post Office at 79 Main Street, Frodsham.

An online petition calling for Barclays to rethink the decision can be signed on Mike Amesbury's website: www.mikeamesbury.org