A FORMER bank will go up for sale at auction next month including a cash machine which some residents feared would be removed.

The former NatWest Bank, in Ferryhill, will be among 40 lots at Pugh’s property auction at Elland Road Stadium in Leeds on Tuesday, September 4.

The 2,000sq ft former bank, on Market Street, has a guide price of £100,000.

The bank closed earlier this year and its ATM has been out of action since a security worker got trapped in the building while refilling it with cash on Monday, August 6.

The inclusion of the ATM in the sale, on a five-year lease at £3,000 a year, suggests a buyer could redevelop the site and continue to operate the cash machine facility.

Paul Thompson, managing director of Pugh auction house, said: “We are seeing the ongoing closure of many high street branches as our banking clients continue to evolve the way they deliver their services in the digital age. "Ferryhill is a busy market town and the property is well located for potential commercial redevelopment.”