UK facing banking void as branches chopped for good

Data shows two-thirds of bank branches have shut since 2015

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The decline of the UK's bank branch network is gathering pace once more with a number of banking giants carrying out closures in June.

Lloyds Bank, Bank of Scotland, Santander and Nat West are among the high-profile names taking part in the downsizing exercise as more people switch to digital banking - but the switch has not been without its critics.

According to data compiled by consumer watchdog Which?, more than 6,400 branches have closed since 2015 - wiping out nearly two-thirds of the country's banking network.

This seismic shift in the banking landscape has left communities up and down the country without access to traditional, in-person services, disproportionately affecting rural areas, the elderly, and those without reliable internet access.

This June alone forms part of a wider plan that will see 431 more branches vanish by year's end.

Among the worst affected are customers of Nat West and Halifax, with 105 and 100 closures respectively. Santander will also pull back, closing 95 branches, followed by Lloyds with 93.