Lloyds Banking Group has confirmed the closure of 48 branches across England and Wales.

The bank will shut 41 Lloyds Bank branches and seven Halifax branches.

The Group has roughly 25 million customers, of which 18 million are active digital banking users, and over 13 million are regular mobile app users.

It said that the branches announced for closure have over time had significantly fewer customers regularly using them. Lloyds added that, like all banks, it must continue to “adapt for a future where most customers need to visit in person less regularly.”

“Like many other businesses, we’ve seen people using our branches less frequently in recent years, and this decline is continuing,” said Vim Maru, retail director for Lloyds Banking Group. “Our branches remain a fundamental part of how we serve our customers but we need to ensure the size of our branch network reflects the number of customers wanting to use them.”

The banking group assured customers that of the closures it has announced, all have alternative access to cash within a third of a mile.

It also said that, as part of a three-month trial, it is exploring a new community banker programme with a number of towns across the UK, providing face-to-face services for customers in their local communities.

One day each week, a community banker will be available in a town centre location - such as a library or bookshop - to support customers with account enquiries, making payments, PIN requests, online banking queries, and appointment requests.

Community bankers are currently visiting 8 locations.

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