ONE man is pitting himself against one of the world’s banking giants as he wages a campaign to save one of the city’s branches from closure.

Eric Channing, 71, has taken to the streets armed with a petition in a bid to try to keep HSBC in Caerleon Road, Newport, open.

Mr Channing said he and his wife Jean have been using the branch for 46 years and it would be “devastating” for the area if it closed.

So, just after 10am on Tuesday morning, he began collecting signatures outside the branch, calling for the bank to change its mind.

Mr Channing, of Merlin Crescent, stays for up to six hours each day, even after the bank closes at 3pm.

He has more than 650 signatures so far. He said: “We’ve got to stand up and be counted to stop these people stabbing us in the back. I felt I had to do something when I heard about the closure.”

Mr Channing said he plans to return every day in his bid to get as many signatures as possible.

As reported previously in the Argus, the bank is set to close on June 17.

Aspokesman for HSBC said the two members of staff who work at the bank will be moved to another branch.

The spokesman said the closure was due to a fall in the number of people using the branch, combined with an increase in the number of people using telephone and internet banking.

Traders and residents have expressed their concerns about the effect the closure could have, with fears it could lead to shops in the road suffering as people who combine their trip to the bank with a visit to the shops will shop elsewhere.