Over 1,000 UK high street banks close doors in two years
Over 1,000 UK high street banks closed over the last two years thanks to a rise in online banking and financial services offered at Post Offices, according to consumer group Which? The group also warned that 20 million people still did not use web-based banking, despite 56% of adults going online for financial services last year. Which? CEO Peter Vicary-Smith said banks needed to do a "better job of working with their customers to understand their needs and those of the local community", especially when closing branches.

More than 1,000 high street bank branches have closed over the past two years, according to a new report from consumer group Which?

The scale of closures is attributed to the shift to online banking as well as banking services being offered at Post Offices.

But the consumer group warned that while 56% of adults used online banking last year there were still 20 million adults that did not - often those who did not use the internet or had poor broadband.

Which? chief executive Peter Vicary-Smith said: "Access to the services necessary to make everyday banking possible should be simple and straightforward.

"Banks can and must do a better job of working with their customers to understand their needs and those of the local community, especially when they are making changes to the services they offer or closing branches."

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The research found that across the UK, 1,046 sites had shut or were due to do so in the two years from January 2015 to January 2017.

It said HSBC cut the most branches, at 321, or about a quarter of its network.

Royal Bank of Scotland - a group which includes NatWest as well as the RBS brand - closed 191 branches or about 10%.

Lloyds Banking Group - which includes Lloyds Bank, Halifax and Bank of Scotland - shut 180 sites or 14% of its network.

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There were 132 closures at Barclays, 117 at the Co-op, 87 at Santander and 18 at TSB, the report said.

In November, banks promised to offer greater support and advice to customers faced with bank closures after a report by Professor Russel Griggs called for improvements.

HSBC, responding to the latest report, said it remained committed to a "high-quality branch network" but that visits to its branches had fallen sharply.

The British Bankers' Association said there had been a "digital revolution" in the way people manage their money.

A spokeswoman said: "This has had an inevitable impact on the use of bank branches, which has led to a number of branch closures.

"However, the decision to close a branch is never taken lightly."