The move is expected to affect the jobs of about 400 staff – although HSBC says it aims to redeploy impacted staff.

The bank said it will try to replace the affected branches with other banking services, such as new ATMs and pop-up banks. The move follows the closure of a further 82 HSBC branches last year.

The move will leave HSBC with about 440 branches, and it said it won’t close any branches where it is the last bank in town. However, the move is expected to increase the average distance customers must travel for in-person services to about 4 miles.

HSBC said fewer than half its customers are active users of its branches, and that average footfall was down 50% since 2017.

Jackie Uhi, head of HSBC’s UK branch network, said: “The way people bank is changing – something the pandemic has accelerated. Rather than a one-size fits all branch approach, it’s an approach built around the way different customers are choosing to bank in different areas.”

Jenny Ross, Which? Money editor, said: “There has been an alarming number of bank branch closures in recent years, and many consumers who rely on banks to access cash for everyday essentials and face-to-face services will be concerned about what these latest closures mean for them.

“While many consumers now choose to bank digitally, millions of people are not yet ready or able to take that step. The banking industry’s proposals to protect access to cash must keep them in mind, and need to be underpinned by legislation.

“The government must move urgently to make good on its promise to legislate and ensure that consumers will continue to be able to access cash for as long as it is needed.”