The existing Brentford community must not be "left to fall by the wayside" as the town undergoes years of redevelopment.

It comes as Barclays announced plans to close its Brentford High Street branch in June.

This would leave Brentford without any banks or a post office.

Many people have also expressed dismay that it comes at a time when yet another estate agent is due to open at the former Naked Grain shop.

Chair of the Isleworth and Brentford area forum Salman Shaheen said while huge regeneration of Brentford is underway the years to come, which will bring lots of new people into the community, it is "vital" the existing community is not "left to fall by the wayside".

He added: "The need of services are changing but a huge proportion of society is relying on those services…It's ageist to just ignore them."

And while cllr Shaheen said he understands the business will not stay if it's not profitable, Barclays should do the "decent thing" and stay open until an alternative service is found.

Council leader Steve Curran also said he was "extremely disappointed" to be informed of Barclay's decision, and is working with Brentford MP Ruth Cadbury to try and save the bank from closure, and hold talks with the finance bosses.

Cllr Curran added: "This decision has been made without any consultation with the council and it's another example of high-handed decisions being made that affect our communities and businesses without engaging with us first."

It is not expected any redundancies will be made as a result of the bank's closure, and it is believed the bank will be hosting 'tea and teach' sessions for customers wanting to explore digital banking and other alternatives to in-branch services.

It is also understood that 93 regular customers use the Brentford branch.

But Brentford and Isleworth MP Ruth Cadbury has described the "serious and damaging impact" the closure will have on residents and businesses in the area.

She said: "Along with the loss of the post office on Brentford High Street I am extremely concerned that we are seeing essential public services being lost from our high street.

"This will force people to travel long distances to carry out basic services and will cause greatly difficulty for those unable to travel, or bank online or via the phone. I'm particularly concerned about the impact this will have on older customers, and those with disabilities.

"I will also be raising this directly with the government- it is clear that we need a pro-active approach to support our high streets and vital community assets such as these.''

A Barclays spokesperson said: "The decision to close a branch is never an easy one. However, customers are increasingly using alternatives to branches to do their banking.

"As a result, we are seeing a sustained fall in branch visits across the UK.

"This is reflected at the Brentford branch where there has been a 25 per cent reduction in counter transactions in the two years to March 2020. In addition, nine out of ten of our customers at the branch are also using different ways to bank.

"We will work with our customers and provide alternative options to ensure they can continue to manage their money and receive financial expertise when required."

Community group Brentford Voice has launched a petition to stop the closure.

The petition can be found here

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