VANISHING BANKS

More than 80 branches are due to close in June

- By RICHARD AULT

MORE than 80 banks are set to shut this June as the UK is hit by a wave of summer closures.

In May, 69 branches vanished from high streets across the nation, including the last bank in Farnworth, Bolton’s second biggest town, leaving a population of around 29,000 with nowhere to go for in-person banking services.

But even more closures are due in June - a total of 85 banks. That includes 25 branches of NatWest, 24 Santander branches, 15 Lloyds banks, 13 Halifax branches, seven Bank of Scotland branches, and one TSB.

By the end of this month, 240 banks will have closed in 2025, with dozens more set to shut in July and August.

Since a voluntary agreement saw the major banking groups commit to assessing the impact of every closure in February 2022, 1,879 bank branches have shut or announced their intention to close.

‘That's an average of around 50 closures announced per month or 12 per week.