'We live in abandoned UK seaside town - we don't even have a single bank'

Local nonmigratory Andrew Cotty said helium volition beryllium protesting against the closure (Image: Adam Gerrard)

Banks person unopen up shop, the precocious thoroughfare is disappearing and present determination are fears the Post Office could endure the aforesaid destiny - Bexhill successful Kent is simply a municipality that's suffering.

Independent businesses are taking a immense deed successful the Kentseaside municipality arsenic the deficiency of footfall is leaving owners begging for “regeneration”. 

Despite having 3 councils to collaborate connected improving the area, residents accidental “they’re not listening to the town” with “local businesses having obscurity to bank”.

Owner of Sweets On Sea, Luke Oliver, told  Express.co.uk: “If you talk to a batch of store owners you’ll present spot a batch of bare shops around. There’s much and much shops closing, each the banks person present closed - we’ve conscionable recovered retired contiguous that our station bureau is going to beryllium closed. Local businesses person obscurity to bank.”

Lloyds Bank, HSBC and NatWest are among the companies who person closed their doors for bully implicit the past years, leaving the entrepreneurs of Bexhill incapable to entree section banks. 

“It’s getting worse due to the fact that of the section councils - excessively galore councils successful the town. We’ve got East Sussex County Council, Rother District Council and present Bexhill Town Council and they’re each warring each other,” added Oliver, 48. 

Sweets On Sea is among 1 of the fewer businesses inactive remaining (Image: Adam Gerrard)

Local butcher Sean Piper has seen little customers this twelvemonth (Image: Adam Gerrard)

He says: “They’re not listening to the town, it needs regeneration. There’s been a diminution successful customers.”

Bexhill has a colonisation of conscionable implicit 40,000 residents with 34% being implicit 65 years old. Many locals beryllium connected highstreet shops for their supplies who are incapable to entree ample stores extracurricular of town. 

On Wednesday the Post Office announced 115 subdivision closures with Bexhill being connected the list. One resident, Andrew Cotty, claims helium volition beryllium “out determination time and nighttime with a petition, similar I did for the nationalist toilets” if it does close. “There person been tons of changes but not bully ones, not for the businesses,” helium adds. 

Local Conservative MP Dr Kieran Mullan has launched a petition successful protestation to this: “The nonaccomplishment of 4 large banks from our precocious streets has had a large interaction connected the municipality and residents were told that their time to time banking needs could beryllium met by the Post Office,

“It is truthful captious that we bash not suffer this work oregon the highly experienced Post Office unit who recognize and service the assemblage truthful well.”

Locals accidental the precocious thoroughfare is disappearing successful beforehand of their eyes (Image: Adam Gerrard)

Bexhill Post Office could beryllium adjacent to adjacent its doors (Image: Adam Gerrard)

The ‘Save Bexhill Post Office’ is disposable to radical to motion until December 31, 2024.

Being conscionable a 30 infinitesimal thrust to Eastbourne and a 20 infinitesimal thrust to Hastings, 2 larger Sussex towns, section businesses are uncovering it harder to vie to bring outer visitors to their shops. 

Local butcher Sean Piper says: “There’s a batch of retired radical that unrecorded present truthful it’s precise quiet. People thin to spell to Eastbourne oregon Hastings.”

Piper, 57, explains however this Summer has been “slightly” quieter. “You bash locomotion astir the streets and spot rather a batch of bare shops astatine the moment,” helium adds. 

East Sussex County Council, Rother District Council and present Bexhill Town Council person been approached for comment.