Hawick’s Sandbed post office is set to reopen this week after it was suddenly closed over the weekend.

The Sandbed Post Office in Hawick has closed until further notice.

It is understood that the closure is due to circumstances beyond Post Office Ltd’s control.

Local MP John Lamont has hit out at bosses of big banks for failing to do their bit to protect their own branches and for misunderstanding their own customers like those in the Scottish Borders.

The Post Office Ltd have announced significant increases in the amount of money they will pay postmasters for carrying out banking transactions.

It is understood that rates will more than double for some post offices.

Local MP John Lamont has said that the closure of Hawick’s TSB two days a week must not be a prelude to another branch closure in the Borders.

Staff involved remain overwhelmingly positive about the benefits of Universal Credit, local MP John Lamont has said following a visit to Eyemouth Job Centre.

The feedback is the same as the experience of staff at Galashiels and Hawick Job Centres.

Brexit is not getting in the way of John Lamont’s marathon efforts for Marie Curie Scotland, the MP has said.

The Chancellor, Philip Hammond MP is expected to announce the UK Government will be contributing £260m to the Borderlands Growth Deal.

The UK Government has been supporting Growth Deals across the UK since 2014. To date, this has included more than £1.3bn of investment in Scotland.

The Royal Bank of Scotland have published a new timetable for their mobile branch services in the Scottish Borders.

The timetable maintains all existing stops, with some towns in the Borders receiving an extra mobile banking service and the van stopping for longer in some towns.

Consumer watchdog Which? have published new research which Scots are increasingly struggling to access cash.

Since 2015, 339 Scottish bank branches have closed their doors while 290 ATMs have been withdrawn in the past year.