How loss of a bank can spell doom for rest of the High St

BANK branch closures are killing off shops on the high street, a poll reveals.

Nearly a quarter of store owners said the loss of a local bank branch helped push them to close at least one store within the last five years.

And nearly half – or 46 per cent – told the Nottingham Building Society survey that such a loss had harmed their business.

A Government report released earlier this year shows that 1,270 bank branches were closed between 2014 and 2017, often to cut costs. This year alone, 650 were shut, with more to come.

Experts believe there are now as many as 1,500 towns in the