Once the closure plan is completed, Lloyds will have 386 branches, Halifax 281 branches, and Bank of Scotland 90 branches. Lloyds attributed the branch closures to customers increasingly opting for mobile banking over in-person services.

The country is estimated to have lost well in excess of 6,000 branches since 2015, with alternatives struggling to help fill the void for people especially outside major towns or cities.

Among the Greater Manchester branches affected are the Lloyds in Farnworth, Bolton, which will close in May. The Halifax in Walkden, Salford, will be next to close in September, followed by Lloyds in Bury and Halifax in Bolton during the autumn. The Lloyds bank in Manchester Moston is then set to close next year.