Cornwall woman in bank row trying to deposit £900 HMRC cheque

A woman has urged a banking group to "not forget" rural communities after a struggle to deposit a cheque. Annabel Yates, from Cornwall, received a £900 cheque from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), but could not deposit it online as it did not have perforated edges and would not scan. She took it to her local post office but was told Lloyds Banking Group customers could no longer pay in cheques through the Post Office after the service was stopped in January. Yates said she ended up travelling 94 miles (150km) to Truro to visit a branch. Lloyds said customers could deposit cheques through its app, visit any branch, or use a freepost deposit service. HMRC said its cheques could be scanned, adding a perforated edge was not required. Yates, from Crackington Haven, said she wanted the bank to "reconsider their policy" as she believed it "disenfranchised the rural population". She said: "I think the bank's theory is everything could be done on an app and that's just not always the case. She said she was told about the freepost option but "did not want a cheque in the post for such a large amount of money when you are not sure it would actually reach its destination". She added: "Back in th

May 14, 2026 → May 14, 2026