NatWest and Lloyds to axe a further 81 bank branches

The moves come days after it emerged that Barclays was closing 14 more outlets.

Both Lloyds and NatWest argued that customer demand for traditional counter services was falling as more people used online and mobile banking.

The consumer group Which? said on Thursday that UK banks and building societies had closed, or announced the closure of, 5,498 branches since January 2015, at a rate of about 54 each month. It said NatWest Group, which comprises NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland and Ulster Bank, would have closed 1,257 branches by the end of 2023, “the most of any banking group”.

In January this year, Lloyds announced the closure of 18 Halifax branches and 22 Lloyds sites. Last October, NatWest said it would be axing 43 branches during the first half of this year. And at the end of November, HSBC said it would be shutting a further 114 outlets between April and August this year.

Lloyds said that as the use of digital banking had grown, the number of branch visits had fallen. Visits to he 39 branches being axed had fallen by an average of 59% – and some up to 69% – in the last five years.

A Lloyds Banking Group spokesperson said: “Our customers are increasingly using digital channels to manage their money – we now have over 20 million regular digital users, so it’s important we continue to develop the online services our customers want to use.”

They added: “Our branches will continue to be an option for our customers, alongside our telephone services, mobile app and online bank.”

All of the branch locations announced for closure have a post office and at least one free-to-use ATM nearby, said Lloyds.

A NatWest spokesperson said: “We take our responsibility seriously to support the people who face challenges in moving online, so we are investing to provide them with support and alternatives that work for them.”

Full list of Lloyds Banking Group closures:

Lloyds Bank branches:

Bretton, Peterborough

Benton, Tyne and Wear

Fulwell, London

Woodlands, Doncaster

Chapeltown, Sheffield

Highbury Corner, London

Carlton, Nottinghamshire

Cambridge, Chesterton Road

Shepton Mallet

Hazel Grove, Stockport, Greater Manchester

Holborn Circus, London

Threadneedle Street, London

Tumble, Carmarthenshire

Eckington, Sheffield

New Mills, Derbyshire

Corringham, Essex

Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire

Bridge Street, Downham Market

Shirebrook, Derbyshire

Sidmouth, Devon

Porthcawl, south Wales

Withernsea, East Riding of Yorkshire

Wellington, Somerset

Newcastle upon Tyne, Newburn

East Horsley, Surrey

Ystradgynlais, Powys, Wales

Halifax branches:

Catford, London

Emersons Green Retail Park, Bristol

Denton, Greater Manchester

Mirfield, West Yorkshire

Tadcaster, North Yorkshire

Otley, West Yorkshire

Newton Aycliffe, County Durham

Porthcawl, south Wales

Newmarket, Suffolk

Bank of Scotland branches: