Halifax cuts investment accounts off from the web until April 2012

Why not phone us? Or send your butler. Next year

A British bank is closing off web acces access to its investment accounts while it works on "a fresh new site which is more secure and easier to use".

The only downside is that this process will keep Halifax Bank of Scotland busy until April 2012. So anyone with an investment account at the banking group will need to manage their accounts using good old-fashioned phone calls, letters and messages attached to pigeons.

In a letter sent to customers, Halifax also warned customers that if they needed any information on their investments they should get over to the website before closing day.

The letter said: "We plan to bring back an online investment service by April 2012 along with more enhancements over the coming months, including an exciting new mobile banking service. In the meantime you'll still be able to do all the things you do online now over the phone..."

The letter includes a web address which contains the phone numbers you'll need.

The bank recommends you print off any information you might need before 18 April... because it won't be available after that.

A spokeswoman for the bailed-out bank told us access to some products would be affected "in the short term".

We asked how long that term would be and also asked why the bank could not keep one website up while developing another one: can't be because of all those techies you sacked, can it?

She said the changes were part of major redevelopment of the group's online properties. She said a small proportion of the bank's total customers choose to manage their investments online. ®