VILLAGERS in Winkleigh held a mass protest outside the last remaining bank in the village to show their opposition to plans to close the branch before the end of the year. Around 50 villagers ?from young children up to a woman in her 90s ? gathered outside Lloyds TSB on Monday to register their opposition and to talk to the bank?s regional director who travelled from Exeter to speak to campaigners. Villagers have vowed to fight on to stop the only bank in Winkleigh disappearing as they fear the knock-on effect on other vital businesses could be catastrophic. The bank is currently open three mornings a week, and Lloyds TSB says the branch just does not have enough customers. Staff at the bank handed out leaflets to customers last week, announcing that the branch was due to close on December 4. Local businessman Steve Leahy said: ?With it being the only bank left in the village, if it closes, the nearest bank will be in Torrington or Crediton, which are both around 12 miles away. ?The bank looked at cost-effectiveness of the branch eight years ago, and we managed to save our bank at the time. So, the parish council and the Winkleigh Society are going to try and fight this again.? Winkleigh resident Pat Tong, who attended the protest, said: ?The bank say there are not enough people using the bank, but they wouldn?t give us any figures about the amount of people or business they would need each week to carry on.? She said there had been a ?lack of consultation? between the bank and the people of Winkleigh. ?It is quite a daunting fight because it is such a big business, but don?t underestimate the people of Winkleigh.? In a letter to customers explaining the reasons for the closure, the bank said: ?We appreciate the inconvenience this closure may cause . . . In order to serve all of our customers we need to ensure that we are making the best use of our resources. Unfortunately, usage of this branch has been declining over a number of years and we believe that we should invest where we are best able to serve the community as a whole.? Leigh Calder, a Lloyds TSB spokesman said: ?We absolutely did not make this decision without an awful lot of thought and consideration. However, the number of customers coming through the doors is dwindling and as a commercial operation, we cannot justify the resources of keeping the branch open.? Mr Calder said the company had ?listened to the community? but the reality was some very difficult decisions had to be taken. He said: ?We have given customers twelve weeks? notice and we shall give them as much guidance and information as we can to support them during this period.? He was keen to stress that personal banking customers would be able to access many of their banking services through the Post Office, but unfortunately, it was not possible to extend this to business customers. Winkleigh Parish Council are hoping to arrange a public meeting at a future date to discuss the issue.