More than one bank a month axed in Shropshire and Mid Wales
Shropshire and Mid Wales have lost local bank branches at a rate of more than one per month over the course of the last year, new figures have revealed.
Five branches shut in Shropshire Council's area, one closed its doors in Telford & Wrekin, and seven disappeared from Powys between April 2015 and last month.
It leaves the area with 13 fewer banks than a year ago, with customers of HSBC particularly hard-hit by the closures.
The bank has axed branches in Church Stretton, Harlescott in Shrewsbury, Market Drayton, Whitchurch, Builth Wells, Llanfair Caerinion, Llanfyllin, Machynlleth and Rhayader.
RBS Group has shut branches in Ellesmere and Crickhowell in Mid Wales, while Barclays has shut the doors of its Llanwrtwyd branch, near Builth Wells.
The figures, compiled by the BBC, do not take into account closures that are yet to come, and NatWest, part of the RBS Group, has already announced it is planning to shut the doors of its Wem and Wellington branches later this year.
The Co-operative Bank shut its Wellington, Oswestry and Whitchurch branches after the end of the study period, on May 3, so these too are excluded from the figures.
It means Lloyds Banking Group and Santander are the only banks which have not swung the axe in Shropshire and Mid Wales in the last year.
In total, about 3,000 branches have shut over the last decade, according to the Campaign for Community Banking Services, leaving around 8,000 now.
That rate of closures has accelerated rapidly over the last year, however, as banks look to cut costs and target lesser-used branches.
In a single year, 600 banks shut their doors across the UK.
"The way we bank is changing very quickly, and with an increase in the use of online and telephone banking over the past few years, use of branches has fallen significantly," an HSBC spokesman said.
