Residents of Dumbarton and the Vale are facing trouble accessing their own cash - after a raft of local banks closed down.

Branches across the area, including the RBS in Alexandria and Barclays in Dumbarton are no longer open for business.

According to consumer group, Which?, over a third of Scotland’s bank branches have closed in the last five years - and a lot of the remaining ones are at risk of also shutting down.

Jenny Ross, Which? money editor, said: “Banks are closing their branches at an alarming rate in Scotland, which risks shutting many people out of vital financial services and their ability to access their own cash.”

People from rural communities, as well as the elderly are more likely to suffer as many face round trips of many miles just to get some cash from their account, or to pay a bill.

Ms Ross added: “Bank branches play a crucial role within communities - serving consumers and businesses alike. The industry must ensure no-one is left behind by the digital transition and that when banks shut their doors, they don’t shut their customers out of important banking services.”

Raising concerns about elderly people being able to access their cash, Brian Sloan, Age Scotland chief executive, said: “Bank branches have been disappearing from Scottish high streets at a rate of knots leaving many communities and customers without access to a valuable face-to-face service.

“Rural and remote communities are often the hardest hit by closures as banking deserts begin to exist.

“Many older people face particular challenges when it comes to managing their money and the half a million people in Scotland over the age of 60 who do not use the internet are being left behind with the move to digital by default banking.”

Which? also found that RBS has closed 74 per cent of its bank branches across the UK, with the majority of them being in Scotland, where 158 branches closed.