The bank has announced it will be closing 114 branches nationally from April, with Pocklington, Skipton, Whitby, Broghouse, Ilkley, Wetherby, Horsforth, Epworth and Settle among the places due to be affected.

According to HSBC, the number of visits to branches has dropped by almost two-thirds in recent years while the pandemic accelerated the shift towards online banking.

But for many elderly people and those without internet access, the move is a concerning one.

HSBC is to close more than 100 bank branches next year

While HSBC has said it will provide free tablet devices to some branch customers who do not already have a device to bank digitally, alongside one-to-one coaching to help them migrate to digital banking, this solution will not be available to or suitable for everyone.

The bank branch closure programme is also part of a worrying wider trend for high streets across the country as footfall drops, big stores desert town centres for out-of-town retail parks and consumers become ever more used to shopping online.

Closing a bank branch may make business sense for the company involved but it also means there is one fewer reason for people to visit their town centre. That in turn has a knock-on effect on the businesses still valiantly trying to maintain their presence in physical stores.

HSBC bank branch closures part of sad wider trend - The Yorkshire Post says