Villages and small towns in remoter parts of the country have lost banking services over recent years as banks closed branches and retreated to more profitable town centres.

Now though, a lifeline is being thrown to remote villages in Devon and Cumbria as NatWest is to boost its mobile banking service in both the North and South of the country with the launch of two new mobile banks.

The mobile banks are aimed at providing a number of remote areas with direct access to face-to-face banking facilities. The service is unique as NatWest and RBS are the only banking group to provide a mobile banking service in England and Wales, and its overall mobile bank fleet (including Scotland) makes over 23,000 stops a year, in 300 communities, covering in excess of 150,000 miles.

These latest additions to the NatWest mobile bank fleet follow the success of NatWest’s Cornish mobile bank, which was launched in 2005 and the more recent South Wales mobile bank launched at the end of last year.

These newest vehicles are a further sign of NatWest’s commitment to rural communities. Over the last seven months NatWest has been installing free to use cash machines in some of the neediest communities around the country in a move to help combat financial exclusion.

The mobile banks, which will be fully accessible for people with disabilities, are set to hit the road on Monday 26th March and will run every weekday. The routes will cover areas around Buckfastleigh, Chudleigh, Gunnislake and Millbrook in Devon; and Burton in Kendal, Coniston, Grasmere and Loweswater in Cumbria.

Scheduled routes and times will allow customers to plan ahead and these routes will be reviewed regularly to reflect customer demand.  Customers will be able to carry out a range of personal banking services onboard and the mobile bank has been custom-made to be fully Disability Discrimination Act compliant. Facilities include a wheelchair lift and an audio induction loop, which will benefit those who use hearing aids.

Helen Page, NatWest marketing director, said: “Access to banking services is a major concern for those living in remote areas and we are committed to improving services for people in these communities.”

“The two new mobile banks in Devon and Cumbria will complement our strong traditional branch network in those regions. It’s our aim to deliver outstanding service to our customers and provide people with banking facilities they would otherwise not have.”