A SCANDANAVIAN bank has plans to open a branch in Kendal, creating six jobs reserved for local people.

A boss at Nordic bank Handelsbanken said it did not believe in taking on people from outside the area when it moved into a town.

Simon Raine, who is leading the bank's move into Cumbria, said there were plans to launch operations in Kendal and Carlisle within the next year, with a Kendal branch possibly opening in around six months.

"We have quite good experience of dealing with leisure, tourism and agriculture sectors in other parts of the country, and we feel there's an opportunity for the bank there," he said.

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