Holsworthy is to lose its Nationwide Build­ing Society agen­cy, located on the premises of Peter, Peter and Wright Solicitors, on December 31.

In all, 130 such agencies will close, of which six will be in Cornwall and eight in Devon, but all the main branches, including those in Torrington and Bideford, will remain open.

Nationwide spokesman Matthew Wyles said the decision to close the agencies was reached after very careful consideration. "Regrettably, it is no longer sustainable for us to operate an agency network which 95 per cent of our customers never use," he said.

All the agencies are managed by non-Nationwide staff, and in Holsworthy the three members of staff are employed by Peter, Peter and Wright, who will be seeking a replacement for Nationwide.