William Hill is set to close 900 stores, some in a matter of weeks.

The bookmaker blames the government's clampdown on fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) as it warned that store closures could put 4,500 jobs at risk, as reported by The Guardian. The maximum stake on FOBTs has been slashed from £100 to £2.

William Hill, which has three stores in Gloucester, four in Cheltenham and one in Stroud, made a £96m profit in the first half of the year, down 13 per cent on last year.

It said that the changes to FOBTs, which the government described as a "social blight", would reduce its high street revenues by up to 45 per cent, making 38 per cent of its shops unprofitable.