Barclays Bank is set to close 27 further branches in the UK, to take its current planned closure programme to just over 100 sites by the end of this year.

Barclays said it had made the move amid a steady growth in online and mobile banking in the last few years.

The bank says the number of its digital customers has grown to 10 million, while under 10 per cent of transactions are now done in branch.

As part of a “more flexible” offering, Barclays currently operates 50 pop-up sites in local spaces, such as community centres, libraries and business hubs. It says it also wants to move to smart ATMs, which can do more than just dispense cash.

A Barclays spokesperson said: “We continue to review and adjust our branch footprint to ensure it reflects the way that our customers are increasingly choosing to do their banking.”

They added: “We will always give twelve weeks’ notice of any branch closures, explaining the rationale for the decision, as well as highlighting alternative branches and ways to bank.

“This includes working with the local community to find different, more flexible ways for our colleagues to continue to provide local banking support, such as through pop-up presences.”

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