JOBS are at risk after banking giant Natwest decided to close one of its Hampshire branches.

The bank has confirmed it will close its branch in Woolston, Southampton, on May 14 this year but was unable to confirm how many people will lose their jobs.

Natwest says the decision was made due to the rise in people using alternative ways to bank.

But staff say they feel “let down” by the planned closure and morale across the network is “at an all-time low”.

The firm told the Daily Echo the nearest Natwest branch is just under two miles away, in Bitterne, and an arrangement will be in place with the Post Office in Woolston for customers to pay bills, withdraw cash and pay balances.

A cash machine will still be in place at the branch for customers to access their accounts, Natwest confirmed.

And despite the potential job losses, the company said it will work to redeploy people at different branches across the network.

The relative of one member of staff at the Woolston branch, who did not want to be named, told the Daily Echo: “Staff feel let down that yet again the frontline is being victimised for the mistakes of the past while the senior executives just keep on taking. Branch morale across the network is at an all-time low.”

A spokesman for Natwest said: “More and more of our customers are using alternative ways to bank with us, such as online and telephone banking, or using their mobile phone.

“As a result, we’ve seen the number of people using the branch fall significantly over the last few years and we’ve made the difficult decision to close the Woolston branch on May 14, 2014.

“We’ve advised staff and we’re writing to our customers to make them aware of the different ways they can bank with us.

“If customers are concerned about how this will impact their banking, they can go into the branch where staff will be happy to discuss the alternative options available.”