An elderly woman living in an area with no banks was unable to pay for food after her card was hacked and blocked.

It took almost three weeks for Bridget Fowkes, from New Romney, in Kent, to receive a replacement, leaving her with no way to make payments.

She has no other cards and was unable to withdraw cash from the local post office using a cheque because her bank, Lloyds, no longer allows this.

Miss Fowkes, who is in her 80s and suffers from arthritis, said: ‘I couldn’t buy food because I couldn’t access my money. This shows a wider problem of a lack of banking provision on Romney Marsh.

‘Banks here have closed their branches down. We’ve got nothing for miles. I think they’re relying too much on technology.’

Miss Fowkes first realised she had been scammed on July 27 when she received a warning text from Lloyds.

Although the card was still in her possession, its details had been compromised. She believes they were obtained from a legitimate business she had previously used.

The crooks tried to use her card to pay a taxi firm and a fast-food company, but the bank blocked it in time. There was a delay in sending the new one, which then took almost three weeks to arrive.

A relative eventually stepped in and paid for her groceries until the replacement debit card arrived.

While Miss Fowkes gave credit to the Lloyds fraud team for taking swift action, she has complained about the delayed card.

‘I wrote to the chief executive of my bank and suggested that he and his fellow directors should be sent to somewhere in a rural spot where there are no banks or building societies,’ she said.

‘They’d not be allowed a card and would be given £20 cash each to see how they cope.’

Lloyds declined to comment on Miss Fowkes’ specific case. It is understood that she had one more chance to draw £200 cash on July 29 from an older card before it was due to expire.

Romney Marsh, which encompasses the towns of New Romney and Lydd, as well as villages Dymchurch, St Mary’s and Dungeness, is one of many areas in the country without a physical bank branch.

The last remaining bank closed four years ago and Miss Fowkes’ nearest Lloyds branches are in Folkestone and Ashford.

While Lloyds no longer allows cash withdrawals from New Romney Post Office using cheques, some banks, such as Barclays, still do.

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