BANK staff in Galashiels are backtracking to allow an 81-year-old customer to keep cashing in her coins.

For over 60 years Jaye Riddell from Selkirk has been saving her loose change.

And she has exchanged her coins into notes during regular trips to the Royal Bank of Scotland branch.

On Friday the now-widowed granny's request to change her cache of one- and two-pound coins was turned down by a cashier.

And her request to speak to the manager also fell upon deaf ears.

An upset Jaye told the Border Telegraph: "I went in just a week or two ago with £60 worth of one-pound coins to change and they gave me notes without any bother.

"When I went in this time they refused to give me the little bags so I could count my coins into them, like I've always done.

"I was told to put my coins into a machine and it would go into my account instead - I explained that I didn't want the coins in my account, I wanted the notes, but they wouldn't listen."

Mrs Riddell has refused to use an ATM ever since 'a bad experience' in Coldstream several years ago where money was taken from her account on two further occasions after she'd used the hole in the wall.

And since her nearest branch in Selkirk closed in June she has been forced to take the bus to Galashiels to withdraw her pension from her account in person.

Jaye added: "I never got the money back that was taken from my account in Coldstream so I've not used a cash machine again - I don't trust them.

"I never had any bother swapping my saved-up coins for notes or withdrawing my pension when the Selkirk branch was open.

"I've been a customer of this bank for a long, long time and it makes me angry that they suddenly won't help me."

A spokesman for the RBS believes Ms Riddell's refusal last week was down to 'a misunderstanding'.

And he said that staff at the Galashiels branch would help her during any future visits.

He told us: “Our customers can change coins for notes at any of our branches.

"We also offer coin counting machines in some of our branches which save our customers from having to count their coins at home.”