HSBC has opened a new 'cash pod' in Harpenden a year after closing down the town's branch.

The bank say that the pod - the second to open in the UK - will allow customers to check their account balance, print mini statements, activate a card and reset the PIN, as well as make payments linked to their HSBC credit card.

Located in Station Road, the pod will be open for 24 hours and will be free of fees.

The HSBC branch on Harpenden High Street closed its doors in September 2023, with the nearest branch now being in St Albans.

There are now plans for the former branch to become a pharmacy, after a planning application was submitted earlier this month.

The dwindling number of High Street banks in Harpenden has led to calls for the town to be used a pilot for a 'banking hub' -  a Post Office-run centre shared by all banks that customers can use in lieu of a traditional branch.

Former MP for Hitchin and Harpenden Bim Afolami championed the scheme, both in his capacity as the town's representative and as a treasury minister in the last government.

These calls were rejected because of the presence of Nationwide on the High Street, despite it being a building society - something Mr Afolami labelled as a "Nationwide block."

In January, HSBC sought to address branch closures by announcing ten cash pods in areas where the branch had recently closed.

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Andrew Byrne, HSBC UK’s local director, said: “We continue to invest tens of millions of pounds into our branch network and local communities across the country.

"Helping customers to maintain access to cash is very important to us so we are very excited to be switching on our Cash Pod here in Harpenden.

"We will continue to improve our services in local communities alongside introducing digital and new innovations making banking simpler and more convenient.” 

Harpenden has seen a general decline in the number of high street banks in recent years, with Halifax, Santander, NatWest and Lloyds among the merchants closing their branches.