One third of bank branches have closed since 2010

 Thirteen million people have seen their local bank branch shut down in the past 10 years, Office for National Statistics figures show.

More than 6,000 branches have shut since 2010, which is a fall of a third. Banks and buildings societies are shutting as more people use online banking, and fewer visit branches.

As more people use contactless cards, cash machines are also closing. Figures from Link show that between January and August, 1,400 free-to-use cash machines closed.

Gareth Shaw, from consumer group Which?, said many people were at risk of being financially excluded by the “alarming rate” of closures, and called for better alternative facilities. A UK Finance spokesman said decisions to close banks were taken only when all other options had been exhausted.