Halifax and Lloyds to close 40 banks including two in North East - see full list here

Lloyds and Halifax have announced 40 bank closures across the country, including two in the North East.

The companies said the closures, including one site in County Durham and another in North Tyneside, will take place between April and June. The announcement comes as banks across the nation scale back their branch networks.

The number of people using in-person services has been falling for years as more and more people do their banking online. During the pandemic this increased, as some of those who had stuck to bank branches were forced to learn how to bank from home.

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Lloyds Banking Group, which owns both high street banks, said the branches to be closed have seen the number of visits drop by about 60% on average in the last five years. A spokesman said: "Branches play an important part in our strategy but we need to have them in the right places, where they are well-used. We'll continue to invest in branches that are being used regularly, alongside our online, mobile app and telephone services."

The bank branches that will close include 18 Halifax sites in areas including Golders Green, north London, Maldon, Essex, and Bletchley, Buckinghamshire. The two North East ones are in Whitley Bay and Chester-le-Street.

The 22 Lloyds branches to be lost include those in Dagenham, east London, Ipswich, Suffolk, Twickenham in south-west London and Harrow in north-west London. The only site not in England is Halifax's Bangor branch, in Wales.

All the branches are within a third of a mile of at least one free-to-use cashpoint and a Post Office, the group said. The closures will not lead to any job losses, it added.

Full list of Halifax and Lloyds branches set to close

Lloyds

Norbury - London Road - April 19

Pontefract - Ropergate - April 20

Beckenham - High Street - April 20

Gillingham - High Street - April 25

Chingford - Station Road - April 25

Dagenham - The Heathway - April 26

London - Marylebone High Street - May 3

Ipswich - Bramford Road - May 4

Weybridge - Church Street - May 10

Twickenham - Heath Road - May 11

Whitstable - High Street - May 11

Beeston - The Square - May 11

Wickersley - Bawtry Road - May 15

Borehamwood - Shenley Road - May 22

Littlehampton - Beach Road - May 23

Rustington - The Street - June 5

Aintree - Longmoor Lane - June 6

Shaftesbury - High Street - June 13

Newport - High Street - June 13

Ripley - Oxford Street - June 14

Hyde - Clarendon Place - June 21

Harrow - Northolt Road - June 29

Halifax

Bangor - High Street - April 17

Chester Le Street - Front Street - April 19

London - Fenchurch Street - April 19

Aldershot - Union Street - April 26

Crouch End - Broadway Parade - April 27

Chorlton-cum-Hardy - Barlow Moor Road - April 27

Golders Green - North End Road - May 3

Putney - Putney High Street - May 4

Norbury - London Road - May 4

Surbiton - Victoria Road - May 10

Chingford - Chingford Mount Road - May 15

Redruth - Fore Street - May 16

Bletchley - Queensway - May 18

Maldon - High Street - June 5

St Neots - High Street - June 6

Whitley Bay - Park View - June 21

Purley - Purley Parade, High Street - June 22

Grays - High Street - June 22

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