HSBC banks in Knutsford and Wilmslow are among 114 of its branches across the UK which will close from next April in the face of declining footfall.

The banking giant said it is investing tens of millions of pounds in updating and improving its remaining branch network, which will total 327 after the new wave of closures.

Knutsford will lose its HSBC branch in Princess Street, just months after the Lloyds Bank branch in the street closed down.

The HSBC branch in Wilmslow is in Bank Square.

The decline in customers using branches has accelerated so much since the Covid pandemic that some of those closing are serving fewer than 250 people a week, HSBC said.

On the other hand, usage of its mobile app has almost tripled since 2017, with the vast majority of transactions completed digitally.

Jackie Uhi, HSBC UK’s managing director of UK distribution, said: “People are changing the way they bank and footfall in many branches is at an all-time low, with no signs of it returning. Banking remotely is becoming the norm for the vast majority of us.

Knutsford Guardian: HSBC branch in Bank Square, WilmslowHSBC branch in Bank Square, Wilmslow (Image: Google)

“The decision to close a branch is never easy or taken lightly, especially if we are the last branch in an area, so we’ve invested heavily in our ‘post-closure’ strategy, including providing free tablet devices to selected branch customers who do not already have a device to bank digitally, alongside one-to-one coaching to help them migrate to digital banking.”