NatWest Bank is to close its branches in two Breconshire towns - just months after slashing their opening hours.

The bank, which is part of the government owned Royal Bank of Scotland, will close its Builth Wells branch on October 10 and its Hay-on-Wye branch the following day. The nearest NatWest branch will be Brecon, 16 miles from Builth and 15 miles from Hay.

The company says since 2011 it has seen a 39% drop in transactions in Hay and a fall by 37% in Builth Wells.

It said: "These customers are actively choosing to bank in different ways, with 50% of customers of the Builth Wells branch choosing to use our digital banking options. In Hay-on-Wye 53.9% of customers are choosing to use our digital banking options."

In August the opening hours of the Hay branch were reduced from 20 to just 12 hours a week while the Builth branch will has been open for only eight hours a week.

The decision has been criticised by Brecon and Radnorshire AM Kirsty Williams who’s suggested the community should turn its back on big name banks.

The Liberal Democrat said she has been offered the chance to meet with NatWest officials and will tell them she is opposed to the closures.

She also said the government’s protocol on access to banking has "failed".

She said: "Yet again it will be the most vulnerable groups that suffer the greatest consequences, but this appears to mean very little to banks these days. They also serve a wide area including people in the rural communities surrounding the towns, this will be a huge blow for local businesses and residents.

“It is clear that the Access to Banking protocol has totally failed rural areas and needs a complete overhaul by the Westminster government. Perhaps it is time we looked at other types of banking, such as the community banking model, and make greater use of cooperatives and credit unions as well.”

Gareth Ratcliffe, Lib-Dem councillor for Hay, added: "NatWest’s own figures say that 53.9% of their Hay customers are actively choosing to use digital banking options, but what about the other 46.1%. Internet banking is not suitable or even possible for many residents and it is devastating that another bank is turning its back on the wonderful town of Hay.

"I am also concerned about the impact this will have on cashpoints in the town. Access to cash is already an issue so I will be urging NatWest to keep their cashpoint open in Hay even if we cannot save the branch."

NatWest said it has created a new role – the Community Banker – to serve the local area to provide customers with personal assistance and support accessing the right banking options for their needs, as well as help with achieving their financial plans and goals.

It will also offer specialist technical help to support customers with "digital skills" until the branches close.

Customers will also be able to pay money in and access cash from local Post Offices and coinage will be available for business customers.

According to NatWest there are six free to use ATM cashpoints within one mile of the Builth Wells branch and four within a mile of the Hay branch.