Santander has announced it is set to close 95 branches across the UK, putting 750 jobs at risk.

The High Street bank said its customers were increasingly shifting to banking online and it was aiming to start closing almost a quarter of its branches from June.

As part of the changes, Santander will also reduce hours at 36 branches and remove the front counters out of 18 others.

It is the latest bank to announce branch closures, with Lloyds announcing 136 closures in January.

The closures will leave Santander with 349 branches, down from 444.

It said the areas to lose branches would be covered by 95 “community bankers” who will visit local communities on a weekly basis in facilities such as libraries.

Santander said the changes were due to a “a rapid movement of customers choosing to do their banking digitally”.

It added digital transactions had increased by just under two thirds since 2019, with a similar drop for transactions in branches.

“Closing a branch is always a very difficult decision and we spend a great deal of time assessing where and when we do this and how to minimise the impact it may have on our customers,” a Santander spokesperson said.

About 750 staff will be at risk of redundancy if the proposals go ahead after consultation with the unions, the bank said.

Consumer group Which? said Santander’s decision to close almost a quarter of its network “will come as a real blow to many customers”.

“Access to cash remains hugely important for a significant minority who use it to pay for everyday essentials and keep track of their spending,” said the group’s money editor Jenny Ross.

She said schemes to protect services such as banking hubs “are a good start in plugging gaps left by closing physical branches”, but said they should be rolled out “much more quickly if consumers are to feel their benefits”.

The government “must hold banks’ feet to the fire” to make sure commitments to set up 350 banking hubs by 2029 are met, and be prepared to push up that total if necessary, Ms Ross added.