NatWest chaos heads into weekend

NatWest customers face problems into the weekend as the bank works to clear up a backlog of chaos caused by three days of technical hitches.

The bank has taken the step of opening its doors on Sunday, saying it is working "round the clock" to put the situation right.

Angry customers have vented their frustration over the problems, which are also affecting Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and Ulster Bank users, with some finding payments have gone awry and others having disappearing wages, or holidays and home purchases disrupted.

It remains unclear exactly when the issues will be completely resolved and the repercussions have extended beyond the banks' own clients, with one couple who are not NatWest customers left unable to move into their new home. All three banks are part of RBS Group, which is clearing a raft of problems caused by a technical fault which it believes it has fixed.

Customers have raised concerns about getting money for the weekend, although the group has said staff in branches will help them get access to cash. NatWest are extending their opening hours to 6pm on Saturday, and those which open on Saturday will also be open on Sunday morning.

Account balances were not updated properly overnight, meaning that credit and debit payments were not showing up as quickly as they should, although RBS Group said the money is "in the system".

People going into their branch could not necessarily see the most up-to-date account information. Fears have been raised that thousands of customers could be hit with penalty charges if their regular household bill payments such as mortgage payments are affected.

The group has apologised and pledged that no one will be left out of pocket and anyone who incurs penalties because of the problems should contact their branch.

Susan Allen, customer services director for RBS-Natwest retail, told ITV News it was difficult to say exactly when all the problems would be resolved. She said they were due to "an error in our system which we believe we have now fixed but we are clearing the backlog".

NatWest has more than 7.5 million personal banking customers, but the group said it could not tell how many have been affected as it was not possible to know when they were expecting payments into their accounts. However, Ulster Bank said that about 100,000 of its customers have been affected by the same issues.

©Press Association

Campaign To Save Britain's Pubs Is Launched

A fightback against the increasing number of British pub closures is under way.

Camra, the Campaign for Real Ale , has launched a new initiative called Community Pubs Month.

The aim is to re-establish the pub at the centre of community life and persuade landlords around the country to look at different ways to attract new customers.

Spokesman Martyn Herbert told Sky News: "The days where you just open the doors and people would walk in for a drink or a meal have gone really. 

"People need to be drawn to the pub, so you have to be very imaginative."

Camra says 4,500 British pubs have had to close their doors in the past four years.

Attempts have been made to reopen some, but not all with success and currently around 16 pubs a week are failing.

If the trend continues we could see 40,000 local pubs disappear by 2060.

At the Pheasant Inn at Toddington, Gloucestershire, farm animals are on display in the car park. 

It forms only one part of the pub's efforts to bring in more families.

Landlord Sam Keeley said: "We offer as many community events as we possibly can.

"We have got the sheep on display, we have ducklings from the local farm and we are offering a free minibus service to our customers.

"If they want to come and have a drink and meal they don't have to worry about getting an expensive taxi fare home. We are also opening a food store adjacent to the pub."

Camra blames part of the pub closure problem on the big pub companies and their policies with tenants.

Robin Carter is bucking the trend at the Royal Union, a free house in Cheltenham.

His business is booming, but he is aware of the pressures some landlords are under.

"I am lucky enough to own the freehold of this pub but I had leases with the large pub companies in the past. It does make it very difficult to be successful. 

"I think one of the reasons for that is the pub companies give pubs to people who have the money and they don't really care whether that person is going to be successful there."

The power of the big pub companies is only one factor affecting the future of the British pub.

Many that do survive may be unrecognisable to the real traditionalists.