HALIFAX will shut its Bridgwater branch in the spring as part of UK-wide closures.

The Lloyds Banking Group – which Halifax is part of – has announced plans to close 45 branches across its portfolio.

The group said Halifax in Bridgwater will close on April 23, 2024 due to a lack of footfall and following an “in-depth review” of the branch.

It comes after Barclays closed its branch on Bridgwater High Street in April.

Bridgwater Mercury: Barclays in Bridgwater shut earlier this year.Barclays in Bridgwater shut earlier this year. (Image: Google Street View)

A Halifax spokesperson said: “As many customers now choose to bank online or through their mobile app, visits to the Bridgwater branch have fallen over recent years. 

“The local Post Office offers everyday banking, with cash also available at close by free-to-use ATMs, alongside other ways to bank such as online, phone and mobile banking services.”

And in a closing branch review, Halifax said: “You can use any of our branches and the nearest alternative is the Taunton branch.

“And after the branch closes, we’ll have a community banker visit this area. They can offer support and guidance on the ways you can bank with us.”

Halifax says 224 customers used the branch at 17 Fore Street regularly in the year to July 2023.

A total of 69 per cent of its Bridgwater customers have also used other Halifax branches, online banking or telephone banking.

Nearly a quarter of the branch's customers (23 per cent) have used the Post Office for their banking needs.

Bridgwater's Lloyds Bank branch at Cornhill looks set to remain open, despite reports in other news outlets claiming it will close on April 22.

A spokesperson for the banking group told the Mercury: “We have not announced to close the Lloyds Bank branch in Bridgwater.

“Whenever we do make the decision to close a branch, our colleagues, customers and the local community will be the first to know.”​

But the Lloyds Bank branch in nearby Burnham-on-Sea will close on November 13, 2024.

The group says three-quarters of Lloyds customers in Burnham have also used other branches, online banking or telephone banking.