Santander is to shut 44 of its bank branches in a move putting 291 jobs at risk.
The Spain-based banking giant said the closures are part of an overhaul of its store network linked to a shift from its customers towards its digital services.
It said 96% of all transactions are now being completed in digital channels after a rapid increase in online banking customers.
It comes less than a year after the business announced the closure of 95 branches last March, in a round of cuts which hit 750 workers.
Santander said closing branches will be replaced with “community bankers”, who will operate from Santander Local stores or banking hubs to keep a presence in local communities.
A spokeswoman for Santander said: “In response to a continuing and sizeable shift towards customers using digital banking, we are making changes to our branches to better support our customers.
“We will continue to invest in both our branch network – comprising of full-service branches, counter-free branches, reduced-hour branches, Santander Locals, and our increasingly popular work cafes – as well as our digital banking services, so we can be there to support our customers however they choose to bank with us.”
