BARCLAYS in Cwmbran has appointed three new cashiers after the completion of a 12-week accreditation and probation period.

Jo Trego, 21, from New Inn, Kirsty Jukes-Hughes, 18, from Pontnewydd and Jessica Bradshaw, 17, from Chepstow, represent a small part of Barclays' strategy to recruit 1,000 customer-facing people for its branch network.

Alison Whatmore, Barclays branch manager for Cwmbran, said: "I'm delighted for all the girls who've really progressed during their three-month probation period and I look forward to supporting their future career development."

Barclays wants the extra branch staff to improve its customer service. It has also invested in new technology such as quick pay point machines. The bank said it was funding these improvements by making cost savings in its head office and back office operations.

Last month Barclays unveiled record profits of 4.6 billion, a 20 per cent improvement on 2003. The bank's UK retail division was one of the few parts of the group which lost ground, with profits falling by one per cent to 1.13 billion.

At the time of the results announcement the directors said they hoped to improve on this showing by refocusing the division's resources towards better customer service.