BIRMINGHAM Midshires customers in Malvern face changing to postal or telephone banking with the closure of the town's branch.

The branch, which employs four staff, will close on September 13. This means the nearest outlet will be in Worcester, as the Ledbury branch is also being closed.

The company has announced that 47 of its 113 branches will close but says it aims to avoid redundancies by offering alternative employment to around 220 staff.

This will either be in other Birmingham Midshires branches or in its sister company, the Halifax.

A guideline leaflet for customers states: "You are likely to find that there is not a realistic alternative branch for you to use.

"However, with today's technology it is now easy to operate your finances by post or phone, and we can offer both alternatives."

Birmingham Midshires, which has the motto "People make the difference", says it has decided to "refocus its branch network" and concentrate its services in core areas

"The move takes account of shifting customer habits, in particular the choice by growing numbers to operate their finances through direct channels like the post, telephone and the Internet," said a company statement.

The company's managing director, Ian Kerr, has defended the decision saying: "These are tough decisions but they are the right decisions for Birmingham Midshires. We are refocussing our network on locations where we are strong on the ground and developing new products and services that will deliver a rapidly growing, national customer base."