More than 130 Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland branches to close

Lloyds Banking Group is to close a further 136 branches.

Britain's biggest mortgage lender said It will shut 61 Lloyds, 61 Halifax and 14 Bank of Scotland sites between May this year and March 2026.

All workers affected by the closures would be offered alternative roles, the group said.

A list of the affected branches was expected to be made available.

Money latest: People who only watch Netflix or Disney 'may have to pay BBC licence fee'

Lloyds blamed the move on customers shifting away from banking in person to using online services, meaning there is less need for physical sites.

It made the announcement just weeks after taking the decision to allow its customers to access on-site services across any of the group's branded branches.

A spokesperson said: "Over 20 million customers are using our apps for on-demand access to their money and customers have more choice and flexibility than ever for their day-to-day banking.

"Alongside our apps, customers can also use telephone banking, visit a community banker or use any Halifax, Lloyds or Bank of Scotland branch, giving access to many more branches.

"Customers can also do their everyday banking at over 11,000 branches of the Post Office or in a Banking Hub."

The UK's big banking brands have been shutting branches at pace since the fallout from the financial crisis in 2008 which sparked a rush to cut costs.

The uptake of digital banking services has seen more than 6,000 sites go to the wall since 2015, according to the consumer group Which?

Be the first to get Breaking News

Install the Sky News app for free

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

You can receive Breaking News alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News App. You can also follow @SkyNews on X or subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.