Up to 750 jobs are at risk at Santander bank under plans to close nearly a quarter of its high street branches.

The high street lender has announced plans to close 95 of the bank’s existing 444 UK branches.

Of the remaining branches, 36 will operate on reduced hours branches and 18 will be “counter-free”.

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Only 290 full-service Santanders will remain.

The continued move to online banking has been given as a reason for the closures. The bank said financial transactions completed in branches fell 61% since 2019 while the use of internet banking to open accounts and conduct banking rose.

“Closing a branch is always a very difficult decision and we spend a great deal of time assessing where and when we do this and how to minimise the impact it may have on our customers,” a spokesperson said.

With the closures, Santander said 93% of the UK population will continue to be within 10 miles of a Santander branch.

It pointed out its customers can conduct banking in 11,000 Post Office branches nationwide and 112 banking hubs.

Closing branches are all within one mile of the nearest Post Office, Santander said.

The 750 staff are at risk of redundancy after consultation with unions, it added.

The Communication Workers Union (CWU) and the Advance union have been contacted for comment.

The following branches are to close before the end of the year:

Aberdare
Arbroath
Armagh
Blackwood
Blyth
Bognor Regis
Borehamwood
Brecon
Brixton
Caernarfon
Camborne
Canvey Island
Clacton
Cleveleys
Colne
Colwyn Bay
Crowborough
Croydon
Cumbernauld
Didsbury
Downpatrick
Dungannon
Edgware Road
Eltham
Exmouth
Falmouth
Farnham
Felixstowe
Finchley
Fleet
Formby
Gateshead
Glasgow St Vincents Street
Glasgow The Avenue
Greenford
Hackney
Hawick
Herne Bay
Hertford
Holloway
Holywell
Honiton
Kidderminster
Kilburn
Kirkby
Launceston
Louth
Magherafelt
Malvern
Market Harborough
Musselburgh
New Milton
Peterhead
Plympton
Portadown
Pudsey
Rawtenstall
Ross-On-Wye
Ruislip
Rustington
Saltcoats
Seaford
Shaftesbury
Sidcup
St Austell
St Neots
Stokesley
Strabane
Surrey Quays
Swadlincote
Tenterden
Torquay
Tottenham
Whitley Bay
Willerby
Wimborne
Wishaw

No date has been given for the closure of the following branches:

Bexhill
Billericay
Dover
Droitwich
Dunstable
East Grinstead
Holyhead
Ilkley
Larne
Lytham St Annes
Maldon
Morley
North Walsham
Redcar
Saffron Walden
Turriff
Uckfield
Urmston

There had been reports in recent months that the Spanish bank could leave the UK.

Last month it again sought to assure the UK it’s remaining, saying, “While challenges remain, and there have been mixed signals about the UK’s recent economic performance, the outlook for our business has improved.”