WARRINGTON North MP Charlotte Nichols has expressed disappointment over her constituency being one of 19 in the UK without a bank.

Which? has been tracking bank branch closures since 2015.

The organisation’s findings also show Warrington South has nine branches, including in the town centre, which is 53 per cent down from January 2015.

Labour’s Ms Nichols, who won her seat in the 2019 general election, has raised concerns about the situation in Warrington North.

She said: “I am very disappointed that the closure of Poplars Avenue TSB branch last month means Warrington North has become one of only 19 constituencies without a single bank branch, and I worry about the effect this will have on local residents and businesses who depend on banking services and benefit from a balanced high street.

“It is particularly concerning when banks choose to close branches in less-affluent areas where people are more likely to depend on cash.

“Alternative banking provision is available at local Post Office branches, but these have been harder to access during the pandemic and having one last-resort provider of these services is an inherently fragile system for those that rely on it.

“Over the past year I have met with LINK, the country’s largest cash machine network, to raise the importance of access to cash and have raised the issue with the Chancellor in Parliament.

“I am clear that the Government must not let banks withdraw their physical presence from our communities under the cover of the pandemic, and am closely following pilots taking place in other parts of the country for how we can increase access to banking services across all of Warrington for the future.”

Which? says banks and building societies have closed – or scheduled the closure – of 4,299 branches since January 2015, at a rate of around 50 each month.

According to its findings, the NatWest Group, which comprises NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland and Ulster Bank, closed 1,086 branches during this period.

Lloyds Banking Group, made up of Lloyds Bank, Halifax and Bank of Scotland, shut down 680 sites.

Barclays is the individual bank that has reduced its network the most, with 650 branches have closed – or scheduled to – by the end of 2021.

For more information visit which.co.uk.