Most of Britain’s smaller bank branches will disappear within just a decade, experts have warned.
Closures are happening at an average rate of 50 a month.
If that continues, the UK’s remaining 6,500 local branches will be gone within 10 years.
Consumer group Which? predicted that, without action, many customers will be left with having to trek to big city centres branches, an impossible option for some.
The warning came as the Unite union today (MON) launches a Save Bank Branches campaign.
Dominic Hook, Unite national officer, said: “The scale of bank branch closures over the last decade has been unprecedented.
“The damage done to local communities, small businesses and staff as a result of the decision of the banking sector to abandon local banking is devastating.”
Which? says more than 3,300 branches have closed since the start of 2015.
NatWest has closed the most, 638, in that time, while sister bank Royal Bank of Scotland has axed 412.
HSBC has shut 442 branches, while 404 Lloyds outlets have gone.
The data also shows that North West England has seen the highest number of branch closures, at 424, followed by 396 in Scotland, and 374 in the South West.
A further 100 branches have already been scheduled to close before the end of this year, says Which?
Meanwhile, there are reports that challenger bank TSB is considering closing up to 100 branches.
Banks argue that the mass branch closures are due to more customers doing their banking online.
But Rob MacGregor, another national officer at Unite, said: “No app, robot, website or telephone system can replace the experience and skills of local bank branch staff based in the community.”
Branch closures often mean their free-to-use ATMs going too, making it harder for people to get cash.
Data from ATM network Link shows non-charging cashpoints disappeared at a rate of 578 machines a month in the first half of 2019.
They include those converted to charging ATMs, with their number soaring by 2,700 since the start of the year.
A survey earlier this year found big banks have closed four times as many branches in poor areas than richer regions.
Gareth Shaw, from Which?, predicted in the future there would be a concentration of big branches, along with mobile banks in vans visiting at certain times.
He said: “We have also seen branches move to opening three days a week or in some cases just five hours a week.”
He added: “We don’t want to turn the clock back and have a branch on every high street but it is part of a move that risks leaving significant numbers of people without access to cash.”
He also warned about the impact on small businesses and the wider community.
