THE last bank in East Thurrock has been earmarked for closure.

After a number of shutdowns over recent years, Lloyds Bank in Corringham is the only remaining high street bank in Stanford-le-Hope and Corringham but the Lloyds banking group has now announced it is planning to shut its Grover Walk branch in August.

One of the justifications it gives is that people will be able to bank at a post office, but at the moment Corringham doesn't have one – it shut last month, and no replacement is on the immediate horizon.

Barclays, which closed its branch in Corringham last year, operates a Monday and Tuesday, six hour 'pop up bank' at Corringham library but it does not offer a full range of services and was reliant on the nearby Post Office.

Lloyds wants to shut Corringham's last bank.

Now Lloyds has announced the proposed closure, saying: "Like so many other high street businesses, we've seen people using our branches less frequently in recent years.

"We are responding to the way our customers use our branches.

"Our nearest branch is the Basildon branch and you can also use a post office for your everyday banking."

The full justification for the closure can be found via this link.

Lloyds says before it confirms the decision to close the branch, it will enter a period of consultation with a number of organisations and individuals, including East Thurrock MP Stephen Metcalfe.

The banking group, which effectively went bust in the 2008 financial markets collapse and was saved by a £20.3 billion bailout from the government, is now totally back in private ownership and has been axing branches across the UK, in line with other major banks.

Last month Lloyds Bank has announced that its pre-tax profits for 2022 were £6.9 billion, and that it has increased its bonus pool by 12% to £446 million.