HSBC'S contentious decision to advise only rich customers at its Canford Cliffs branch has come into force.

The Haven Road branch still provides customer service advisers, but they will only discuss queries relating to Premier products.

Premier customers are those with at least £50,000 in savings, a £200,000 mortgage or a £100,000 mortgage plus salary in excess of £75,000.

HSBC stress little has changed at the Canford Cliffs branch and all customers will still be able to use their cash and express teller machines.

"The only change taking place is if a customer has a significant enquiry, like a mortgage, then our staff will only be able to talk about Premier products," said an HSBC spokesman.

"We are just trying to upgrade the service for Premier customers."

HSBC said the decision was being taken in respect of customers' demands and that Canford Cliffs had a proportion of Premier customers significantly higher than the national average.

The bank has not operated with a cashier for over a year, but HSBC said there was no room for a non-Premier adviser as well as the Premier advisers.

Any non-Premier customers will be referred to refurbished branches in Westbourne or Poole.

"We have just spent £2 million upgrading our Poole branch and it is a much better facility for our customers to use," said the spokesman.

When the Daily Echo broke the story on the decision to focus on Premier customers back in April, it hit national headlines.

"Bank bans the poor" screamed the Daily Mirror's front-page headline, while the Guardian's take was "The bank that likes to say - push off".

Many of the stories could not resist ironic references to the bank's slogan of The world's local bank'.

The controversial policy was slated by John McFall, chairman of the treasury select committee, and by a number of charities.