Pensioners' little demo was too much for bank staff. They're now on 'trauma leave'

Pity the poor staff at Barclays Bank. After the announcement that almost 200 rural branches are close next month, and faced with an angry rabble of five pensioners (most of whom needed a chair) and a Methodist minister, staff at one branch have had to be given time off to recover from the psychological trauma.

Despite the fact that both staff members at the Terrington St Clement branch, Norfolk, were allowed home at the usual time while local managers were drafted in to keep an eye on the protesters, the bank was closed for two days afterwards. This, it said, was to let staff come to terms with stress caused by the protest. As the branch does not open on Tuesdays and Wednesdays either, the staff, by the time they return to work tomorrow,will have had six days to recover from a peaceful five-hour demonstration. It was cut short, as most of the campaigners had to go to the lavatory.

But things are likely to get a lot worse for Barclays staff in the next few weeks before the scheduled closures on 7 April. Protests are gathering momentum around the country, according to Derek French, of the Campaign for Community Banking Services. "There are all sorts of different protests lined up. We have heard of petitions which have already got 2,000 signatures; there are plans to persuade every child to open a 10p junior savers' account, which will create a lot more work for the banks, as well as meetings and there may even be more sit-ins. People feel strongly about this and they had a lot of loyalty to their local branch but Barclays has destroyed all that."

The closure of 172 branches, many in villages, will mean dozens of rural communities will be without banking facilities and that people will have to travel several miles to withdraw money or pay in cheques.

John Saunders, chairman of Bedfordshire County Council, tried to persuade a representative from the Stotfold branch, near Bedford, to attend a meeting on the closure but was told he could not, as he feared for his safety.

"He said he was worried that things would get out of hand and that he had already had telephone threats and for that reason would not come to the meeting," Mr Saunders said.

Christine Meggitt, of Crowland Cares, a voluntary organisation for the elderly and disabled near Peterborough, said Barclays was right to worry about public reaction. "When I went into our branch yesterday and asked which day would be convenient for our sit- in, I was met with stony silence and they are usually so friendly. I am extremely concerned that this decision will mean a return to the bad old days when pensioners just kept their money under the mattress. Many of our clients are deeply distrustful of banks anyway and they have had their accounts with Barclays for 60 years.

"They don't want to move and I think they will just go back to keeping large amounts of money in the house."

Yesterday Barclays said it did not plan to close any more branches for staff stress but each situation would be looked at individually. They will doubtless be busy over the next few weeks.