SHOCKED customers are signing a petition to keep Coleford's Nationwide Building Society outlet open after the abrupt announcement that it is to close in December.

Reeling staff of the agency business owned by Richard Wilson say thay are very angry at the move by Nationwide HQ to pull out of the town. Some have worked for Coleford Nationwide for 15 years.

Customers, many of them elderly, will now have to travel to Monmouth for their banking.

Mr Wilson acquired the Gloucester Road agency two years ago and says the £24,000 he paid for it has been lost.

"I am now looking for a job," he told the Review.

"We knew these premises had been sold but we had made all the arrangements to move to another town building with Nationwide's blessing. I had signed the lease and we were ready to go when the news came from Nationwide that they had a new senior manager and we were one of the 50 out of 157 agencies he intended to close down because the relocation costs were too high.

"I know most people think of Nationwide as a building society but they are effectively among one of the larger High Street banks today.

"I will just have to start all over again and we are all very angry. However, my family doesn't have to queue for water and none of my children have so far stepped on a landmine so I realise we are not as unfortunate as many."

Nationwide confirmed the agency was to close in December and said they regretted the inconvenience to customers – however there were branches in Ross and Monmouth and an agency in Chepstow, and customers also had the chance of using the internet banking service.