LLOYDS Banking Group has announced that a North Wales branch will close its doors later this year as part of a nationwide plan of closures across the UK.

The banking giant has confirmed plans to shut 31 Lloyds, 10 Halifax and 15 Bank of Scotland branches between April and October 2020 – including the Colwyn Bay branch of Lloyds on Conway Road on June 30.

The news follows on from the closure of a Halifax branch in Colwyn Bay on June 27 last year.

The company said the closures are part of a store reduction programme in response to changing customer behaviour and the move towards online banking.

On the bank’s website, the closing review for the bank reads: “Our customers’ needs are changing. Nearly 16 million people now bank with us through Internet Banking and over 10 million use Mobile Banking. Branches will remain vital in meeting customers’ needs but we must continually review our network to make sure we have branches in locations where customers need and use them the most.

“As a result, we’ve made the difficult decision to close this branch due to customers using it less often. In addition, the majority of customers are also using alternative ways to bank and we have another branch close by.”

The review adds that the nearest alternative branch is in five miles away on Mostyn Street, Llandudno or the Rhyl branch based almost 10 miles away in Denbighshire’s Queen Street.

Banking union Accord said the move is expected to see staff numbers cut by “under 80” as many employees are to be redeployed in other branches.

A Lloyds Banking Group spokesman said: “We are committed to having the largest branch network in the UK and, in addition to our branches, all our customers can also use the Post Office to access their banking locally, alongside our mobile branches which visit many rural communities.

“We have confirmed that a number of branches will close between April and October this year. This is in response to changing customer behaviours and the reduced number of transactions being made in branches.”

It comes as the bank continues its closure programme which affected Lloyds and Halifax sites in 2019.

In a statement, Accord said: “We fully appreciate that the demand for high street branch banking is diminishing as customers increasingly move to app-based banking but we will be examining Lloyds Banking Group’s plans to ensure that they’re properly thought through and robustly evidenced.

“So far, all branch closures have been managed without compulsory redundancies and Accord expects the same outcome here. We will be contacting our members who are impacted by the closures to offer support and representation.”