HALIFAX Estate Agency is pulling out of Swindon.

Its offices in Commercial Road, West Swindon and Gorse Hill are expected to shut in the coming months.

The firm is blaming tough market conditions for its exit.

But it has said it will move staff to other retail branches in the Swindon area.

A number of customers who are hoping to sell their homes through the estate agents had no idea the firm was planning to leave town.

Linda Waldron, 46, of Broadgreen, was worried that the closures would affect the sale of her home.

“I am quite shocked as I didn’t even know about this,” she said.

“The market is slow already and now this.

“This is all I need, as I can’t wait to move.

“I sold my house as soon as I put it on the market but the buyer couldn’t get a deposit so it fell through.

“Then the credit crunch came along.”

A few streets away another homeowner with a Halifax sign outside her house was also unaware.

Assucen Fernands, 47, has been trying to sell her home through the estate agency for the last eight months.

She said: “Halifax had told me the market is down so I am waiting for a higher price.”

The firm’s HomeFinder website has more than 100 properties listed in Swindon.

A Halifax spokesman said: “From a customer’s point of view we are in the process of contacting them.

“We are going to continue to manage their sales by using other local branches.

“There has been a significant decline in property transactions over the past 12 months.

“That is UK wide – the property market in general.

“So now we are shaping our business accordingly.

“The focus for us is maintaining a branch presence alongside an internet presence in the towns where we already have a very strong market presence.”

Other firms in the property market in Swindon have also been hit by the credit crunch.

Building company George Wimpey has now closed its Windmill Hill office in West Swindon, one of 13 offices, which were earmarked for closure.

As reported by the Adver, builder Cotswoldgate, a southwest builder which had several sites in Swindon, has also faced financial difficulties.