A Dunmow High Street bank is set to close later this year and the town’s Post Office could also shut under new plans.

HSBC has confirmed it will close its doors on October 21 but it is unclear how many jobs will be affected as staff may be “redeployed to other branches” according to the bank.

An HSBC spokeswoman said: “We continually review our branch network to make sure our branches are in the right locations for our customers and we have a sustainable network for the future.

“Over the past five years, we have seen an overall reduction of footfall at our branches of more than 40 per cent and sometimes we have to make the difficult decision to close branches.

“These are not decisions we take lightly and we work closely with those impacted, including customers, to help them understand their options.

“We understand branch closures may cause concern for some of our customers, therefore we have put in place a number of measures to help, including a partnership with the Post Office, so our customers can still carry out their day-to-day banking locally.”

The bank was subject to an armed robbery last month, in which an assailant made away with a cash box, and police have yet to make any arrests relating to the incident.

Meanwhile, the future of Dunmow’s Post Office, also in the High Street, is under review after plans were released regarding the future of 80 Crown post offices in the country.

Dunmow is among those that may be closed or privatised and the company says it is currently advertising for a retail partner.

A spokeswoman said: “There is no detailed proposal for this Post Office branch yet.

“We are advertising for potential interest from businesses regarding franchising or operating Post Office services for us in the future. Once we have a detailed proposal, there would be a six week public consultation before any final decision is made.

“Dunmow is one of around 75 Post Office branches around the country that we are potentially changing the way in which we operate. The majority of our 11,600 Post Office branches are already run on a franchised or agency basis (i.e. located within a store), but we have some directly-managed Crown Post Office branches that will struggle in the future if we do not take action.

“This is because of factors for ‘stand alone’ Post Office branches such as property costs and the way in which customers now want to do business with the Post Office.

“Customers want longer opening hours and more convenience, such as internet services, so we are adapting in order to protect our services. We know that physical Post Offices branches are important to people so we are committed to keeping our network at around the same size.

“Our plans are essentially all about ensuring that we stay on high streets and in city centres in the years to come and working with retailers means that we can do so.”