The Post Office (PO) saw cash deposits and withdrawals drop by 5.4% month on month in November due to the impact of Storm Bert. Personal cash deposits in November totalled £1.45bn, down 4.5% month on month (£1.52bn in October). However, they were up 12.3% year on year.

The storm caused shops to halt trade and lose sales in some parts of the UK, with the most recent storm – Storm Darragh – also causing devastation to small shops.

Meanwhile, business cash deposits in November were down month on month by 7%, totalling £1.12bn (£1.21bn in October 2024). However, they were also up 1.5% year on year.

Shops halt trade as Storm Bert leaves heavy floods

Ross Borkett, PO banking director, said: “Following the large-scale disruption caused by Storm Bert last month, postmasters and their teams are on hand to support small businesses who desperately rely on cash takings in the run-up to Christmas. Our branches provide somewhere convenient and secure where they can deposit their cash.

“Many people rely on cash in order to budget in the run-up to Christmas Day and the trends we’re seeing indicate that personal cash withdrawals will be greater in December than the previous year. People can withdraw the cash they need, to the penny, at our branches with many open long hours and on the weekend.”

PO is predicting it will hit £1bn-worth of personal cash withdrawals to take place in December, with personal cash withdrawals to be up 10% year on year on Monday 2 December.

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