The big banks had all deserted the Essex market town of Rochford, with Barclays the last to shut in 2017.
It was not thought cost-effective to keep full-time branches open in the town, which dates from medieval times and now has a population of 8,400.
From then on, cash could only be withdrawn from two sites one ATM that charged 99p and from a Post Office plagued by long queues.
Rochford helpers (l-r): Toni Jean-Baptiste of Natwest, David Szczepaniak of Lloyds, Frederic Easlea of Santander, Lisa Burton of Barclays and Alison Hoskin of HSBC
And to speak to someone from their bank, most families faced an eight-mile round trip to the nearest branches in Southend-on-Sea.