ROYAL Bank Of Scotland has announced its Dudley branch will remain closed.

The decision was made following a number of "security incidents" at the High Street branch over the last few months, including three raids.

A spokesman for RBS said: "We’ve not taken this decision lightly but we feel we have no alternative. The safety of our customers and our staff must come first. 

"We will now begin the process of communicating with our customers affected by the closure and proactively contacting vulnerable and regular branch customers."

Staff have kept their jobs and moved to other branches, with the nearest for Dudley customers now being in Wolverhampton.

The news comes as RBS and NatWest announced they would close 158 branches in the next six months, blaming a "dramatic shift" in the way that customers use the bank – with a switch to people banking online or through apps. 

All Black Country NatWest branches will remain open.