Lloyds Banking Group has revealed it will be closing a Lloyds Bank branch in south Essex this year.

The group is set to close 20 Lloyds Bank and eight Halifax branches between August and November this year.

Among the list of closures is the Lloyds Bank branch in Hadleigh, which will shut its doors on September 14.

This comes after Vim Maru, the group’s retail director, says branch visits have been falling “significantly” for years.

He said: “Branch visits have been falling significantly for several years now, and this trend is continuing.

“Our network is important, but we need to make decisions to ensure we have the right branches in the right places, as we respond to customers doing the vast majority of their banking online.”

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A union has slammed the decision which it says threatens scores of job losses.

Unite’s national officer Caren Evans said: “The branch closure announcement today that another profit making financial institution is failing to consider the needs of consumers and staff beggars’ belief.

“This news is another example of a bank choosing to walk away from the communities who need access to banking.

“The actions of Lloyds Banking Group over the last few months are completely inexcusable.

“The management is letting down customers and their dedicated workforce.

“These closures will leave some customers more than 10 miles from their nearest bank branch.

“This is a betrayal of some of the most vulnerable, elderly and socially excluded in our communities who need local access to community banking.”

However, Lloyds Banking Group says it is important to “look at where branches are best placed”, and aims to support all workers impacted.

A statement said: “It remains true that online and mobile banking continue to grow, as branch usage falls.

“On average, visits to these 28 branches have dropped by 60 per cent since 2016, while we now have 18.6 million regular online banking customers and over 15 million mobile app users.

“It is important that we therefore continue to look at where our branches are best placed.

“Each of these locations has a free to use ATM, and a Post Office, within one mile.

“As with all proposed closures, these plans have been through LINK’s independent cash-access assessment, with no enhancements required.

“We aim to support all colleagues impacted, who want to remain with the Group, a move to a new role.”