The final closure date of the Bank of Scotland branch in Girvan has been pushed back.

It was announced last year that the branch on Dalrymple Street would close its doors in February, but this was later pushed back to May 20.

A further extension has now been granted to allow for more time to find a suitable site for a banking hub in the town.

The branch is now expected to close on June 17. 

Unless a banking hub is set up in the town, the closure will result in customers facing a 40-mile return trip to Ayr to access face-to-face Bank of Scotland services.

A similar hub is already in operation in Troon, with different banks sending staff to the town on different days of the week so that customers can still speak face-to-face with an employee and carry out transactions over the counter.

Local residents and politicians campaigned to keep the Girvan branch open, but Bank of Scotland said that the premises had seen a fall in visits.

According to statistics compiled by the Lloyds Banking Group, the Girvan branch has seen a 41 per cent decrease in personal customers since 2018, and a 46 per cent drop in the number of business customers.

Cash machine transactions have also dropped by 18 per cent from 2018, the bank confirmed.

The Lloyds Banking Group also says that 70 per cent of customers using the Girvan branch also use other Bank of Scotland branches, internet banking or telephone banking.