A HEREFORDSHIRE town is set to lose another of its banks as TSB announces plans to close 70 branches across the UK.

The bank said the branches would close next year as customers switched to online banking.

The business said that it would have 220 branches left at the end of June 2022, compared to 290 today.

It will still have the country’s seventh largest branch network.

Ross-on-Wye's branch in Gloucester Road will close on June 22, less than a year after Barclays did the same.

Barclays, just down the road from TSB, shut in August 2021. Like TSB, it said dwindling customer numbers was behind its decision.

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When the closure of Barclays was announced in May 2021, Ross West councillor Louis Stark said it was disappointing for the town, but there was at least alternative banks and the option to use Post Office services.

Coun Stark said: "It's always disappointing to see bank branches go, because even with online activities there are still people who would like to go the branch and see human beings face-to-face to do their transactions.

"But I guess with online activities it's a matter of economics."

Announcing the swathe of closures on Tuesday, TSB said that it would mean 150 fewer roles but that all staff who work at the closing branches would be offered alternative roles at the bank.

It is two years since TSB set out a plan to scale back its branch network but the shift to digital banking has accelerated during the pandemic as customers have been stuck at home.

Nine in 10 transactions were now done online, and 90 per cent of mortgage appointments were video calls, TSB said.

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There was “no prospect of branch transactions returning to pre-Covid levels”, the bank said.

There is a Post Office or a free-to-use cash point within a mile of every branch that is set to close.

TSB chief customer officer Robin Bulloch said: “Closing branches is an incredibly difficult decision to take, but we have to respond to the changes in the way people bank and provide the right mix of services for all our customers now and into the future.

“These changes allow us to maintain an extensive branch presence across the country. They are accompanied by a significant investment programme to upgrade branches to better suit customer needs. And, where it takes longer to get to the nearest branch, we will introduce more ‘pop-up’ services in communities.”

The bank said that 90 per cent of its customers will still be within 20 minutes of a branch. For those in Ross-on-Wye, their nearest branch after June 22 will be Hereford, Gloucester or Ledbury.

It planned to add another 10 pop-up bank branches to its offering, adding to the 41 already established in communities across the UK. Bank staff working at such facilities can help customers get into online banking.

TSB also promised extra support for vulnerable customers who will be hit by the closures.