The Swadlincote branch of Santander has escaped today's (Thursday) nationwide branch closures.

But the bank in Ashby de la Zouch will be closing in July - with customers told they will have to go to either Swadlincote or Burton if they want use a branch.

Santander blames changes in customer behaviour since the start of the Covid crisis for its decision.

The lender said all the chosen outlets will close by the end of August 2021 - but adds that the majority of those affected are less than three miles from another Santander branch.

But for the Santander in Swad - based in the High Street - it is business as usual.

Santander will retain a network of 452 branches following the proposed changes a statement said.

All Santander current and business account holders can continue to bank at 11,000 Post Office branches nationwide.

The Spanish bank said it will proactively contact potentially vulnerable customers by phone to provide individual support.

Announcing the closures, Santander said branch transactions fell by 33 per cent over the two years before the pandemic and declined by a further 50 per cent in 2020.

Mobile and online transactions have meanwhile been growing by 20 per cent each year, with almost two thirds of overall transactions now digital.

A dedicated phone number is available to provide customers with help and information on the closures (0800 085 0879).

Adam Bishop at Santander, said: "Branch usage by customers has fallen considerably over recent years so we have made the difficult decision to consolidate our presence in areas where we have multiple branches relatively close together.

"The majority of the closing branches are within three miles of another branch and the furthest is five miles away.

"We will provide every support to customers of closing branches to find alternative ways to bank with us that best suit their individual needs.

"We are also working alongside our unions to support colleagues through these changes and to find alternative roles for those impacted wherever possible.

"We continue to believe that branches have an important role to play and we expect the size of our network to remain stable for the foreseeable future.

"We are committed to supporting our customers and responding to changes in the way customers want to access services."