Woolwich opened an account I don't want, but will not close it. What can I do?

Q I recently applied to remortgage with Woolwich but chose not to complete the transaction. I never at any time knowingly applied to open a current account with the bank, as I have been happy banking with Barclays for 12 years.

But now I have a Woolwich current account, debit/cheque guarantee card, cheque book and monthly statements for a bank account I did not know I had opened. It seems that if you apply for a Woolwich mortgage, the bank automatically opens these accounts for you whether you want one or not.

Even more ridiculous is that I have been told the account cannot be closed unless I personally visit a Woolwich branch, which is really inconvenient. I have no intention of doing this, so am I stuck with an unwanted bank account or can I force Woolwich to close the account by mail?
RM

A The remortgage deal you started was a Woolwich Open Plan package, which has a mortgage reserve facility that can be borrowed against. Access to this facility is offered to borrowers through the Open Plan current account, and this is why a current account was opened for you when you applied for the remortgage. It is an integral part of the remortgage deal.

According to Victoria Kelleher at Barclays, this is made clear in the advertising literature for Woolwich Open Plan, though as you made your original application through an intermediary, he or she may not have supplied this information to you. Shame on him/her if that is the case.

Kelleher also says you were given quite incorrect information about how to close the account once you decided not to proceed with the remortgage. There is no need for you to visit a branch at all to close this account; it can be done by post, as you wanted. Kelleher says she will be in touch with the relevant call centre manager to ensure staff there are aware that this is the case.