The Peel and Port Erin branches of the Isle of Man Bank are reopening but for only two days a week.

The Atholl Street, Peel branch is open for counter service only between 9.30am and 4.30pm on Mondays and Tuesdays while the Station Road, Port Erin branch will be doing the same on Wednesday and Thursday.

Isle of Man Bank’s decision to keep these two branches closed after lockdown ended sparked some controversy last month as two MHKs wrote to the bank criticising its operations and calling on it to reopen branches.

Glenfaba and Peel MHKs Ray Harmer and Geoffrey Boot wrote to bank boss Stuart Chivers and criticised what they saw as a ’distinct lack of comment with regard to closed branches’.

Mr Harmer and Mr Boot asked Mr Chivers to commit to reopening the Peel and Port Erin branches ’as soon as possible’ and for the bank to revert to its regular opening hours.

They added: ’If you really believe your customer base has been satisfied by the level of serviced offered during the crisis then we think you are deluding yourself and are listening to the wrong people. Sadly it is difficult to make your opinions known when there is no face-to-face contact with the branch closed.’

A bank spokesman told the Manx Independent: ’In order to help customers requiring urgent support, we regret that we’re unable to provide full face-to-face banking services in these branches until further notice. Peel and Port Erin branches will temporarily provide only counter services.

The spokesman added: ’Colleagues from branches continue to be re-deployed to assist customers requesting critical support with overdrafts, loans and capital repayment breaks which means we do not have the resources to open all our branches every day at the present time. This will be kept under constant review to support our customers’ needs.’

He added: ’Penny, our mobile branch banking service, temporarily remains out of service.’

The Athol Street, Douglas, branch is open 9.30am to 4.30pm Monday to Friday along with the branches in Parliament Street, Ramsey, and Market Square, Castletown. The branch in Regent Street, Douglas, is said to be open between 9.30am and 4.30pm Monday to Friday but for self-serve only.