The Lloyds bank on Cheltenham's Bath Road is one of 44 branches set to close before the end of the year.

Lloyds Banking Group, which has a headquarters in Barnwood, said the closures are due to more people moving to digital banking, as reported by the BBC.

Lloyds and Halifax branded branches in England and Wales are included in the latest closure programme and will all close between September and November. Added to previous closure announcements, it means a total of 100 branches will close this year.

The closures mean more communities will be denied access to cash and essential banking services provided by trained staff.

Lloyds said a third of the branches earmarked for closure were in large towns and cities, with another branch nearby, and that the number of transactions at the branches had gone down considerably in the last five years.

The Bath Road branch is the latest in a long line of bank closures across the county.

Image credit: Google Maps November 2020