LARGS has been snubbed for a new pop-up bank by bosses of the firm who pulled the plug on a long-standing branch last week.

TSB is to introduce 43 new pop-up services in communities across the UK to support customers with payments, get help with products and services and offer assistance with bereavements.

The first 18 are being launched this month, with others to follow between now and the summer.

But despite coming under fire from locals and councillors for axing their Largs branch, finance chiefs have excluded the town from the list of places that will be served by the new pop-up service.

The Main Street branch was closed amid cuts to communities across Scotland and shut its doors for the final time last Monday.

Independent councillor Ian Murdoch says he is saddened by the decision - and angered by the fresh snub.

He added: “As far as I’m concerned, it’s another sad chapter for our high street and is a sign of the times.

“The banks used to be at the heart of communities and it’s a sad thing for any high street, particularly ours, to lose one of its branches.

“It removes a lot of the services done in person that are vital to elderly people who are not digitally active. A pop-up branch would have gone some way to alleviating that, so to be snubbed for that too is disappointing.

“The only positive is that more business will go to the local post office which needs support, and I’m very confident that staff there will be able to provide a good alternative to the TSB.”

Conservative councillor Tom Marshall says he is also disappointing that Largs will not be involved in the pop-up scheme.

He told the News: “I was a bit shocked to see the branch already all boarded up. Unfortunately it’s a continuation of bank closures across the country.

“TSB is offering pop-up shops around the country, and the fact that Largs hasn’t been selected as a location is not satisfactory.

“My concern is that we’re only left with two branches in Largs. I trust that these firms will say otherwise, but it will be very difficult for older people to bank.”

Labour councillor Alex Gallagher says that banks need to remember that they are to serve the community – not just profit from them.

He said: “It’s been on the cards since they cut the hours but it is still disappointing to see it close.

“The bank made a lot of profit from Largs residents. Banks aren’t just there as a business, they are there to support local people, and the danger is that the two remaining banks leave the town too."

Councillor Murdoch says the closure of TSB is a blow to the whole town, and undermines the efforts to keep Largs thriving.

He explained: “It’s a huge blow to the town and to our vision of how we want Largs as a town centre to operate.

“We want to be occupying more shops and have an improved retail experience and choice for locals and visitors.

“Having a thriving town centre is absolutely necessary in my opinion to keeping that sense of community. A bank is a huge part of that."

A TSB spokesperson said: “The decision to close a branch is never taken lightly, but our customers are banking differently – with a marked shift to digital banking.

“The pop-up service has been created to support customers in communities where we believe there is sufficient customer demand it and it takes longer than 20 minutes to get to the nearest branch.

“In Largs, 85 per cent of our personal customers are already choosing to use another branch or method.”