A petition calling for Barclays to reverse its decision to axe cash withdrawals for its customers at post offices has attracted thousands of signatures in just five days.

The bank enraged customers when it revealed last week it was to block customers taking out cash at post office counters from January 2020.

The high street bank confirmed it was not among the 27 other banks which penned a new three-year agreement to allow their customers to use the services in post office branches nationwide.

It leaves many in Kent facing a struggle to access their cash in the light of high street branch closures and the steady decline in ATMs.

Some 15 million transactions were carried out by Barclays customers last year at post offices - some 41,000 a day nationwide.

Now the National Federation of SubPostmasters has set up an online petition which has already received more than 4,800 signatures.

The petition says: "Due to bank branch closures, many people rely on post offices as a place to access vital banking services – especially in rural areas.

"Without access at their local post office, many people will have to travel many miles to access cash. This will present major challenges to older and disabled people. Barclays’ actions will be damaging to customers and to a national institution - the local post office.

"Barclays should reverse their decision before it is too late. It is unacceptable that people should fall victim to Barclays' quest for greater profits.

"This is about protecting rural communities and protecting our nation's post offices."

The call for Barclays to reverse the decision has been supported by MPs.

Rachel Reeves, the Labour chairman of the House of Commons business committee, said: "The outcry which has followed this inexcusable decision should jolt Barclays into coming to their senses and ensure they do the right thing by performing a rapid U-turn on this policy.

"Barclays are telling their customers 'we don't care about you'... The bank needs to locate its moral compass and reverse this decision before it is too late..." — Calum Greenhow, NFSP

‘Stopping customers accessing their own money from post offices is a dreadful move from Barclays and they should read the writing on the wall and reverse their decision."

Calum Greenhow, the National Federation of SubPostmasters' (NFSP) chief executive said: "Barclays are telling their customers 'we don't care about you'. They are telling subpostmasters 'we don't care about you'.

"The bank needs to locate its moral compass and reverse this decision before it is too late."

The bank is believed to save around £7 million by not signing up to the deal - despite its latest financial results showing a pre-tax profit of £3billion for the first half of 2019.

The NFSP say the savings will represent "a drop in the ocean" to the bank.

It comes after the bank confirmed it would not be closing a string of branches in the county for at least two years.

Both business and personal customers with Barclays will, after January, be able to deposit cash and cheques over post office counters.

It says it will introduce a cashback scheme enabling customers to withdraw cash at businesses in remote towns and areas where there is no branch or ATM alternative within 1km. This will launch in over 200 locations from January 2020.

A Barclays spokesman said: "Our commitment means none of our customers will be without access to cash. Despite removing cash withdrawals, our financial contribution to the Post Office for the banking framework will actually increase in 2020."

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