The death of Britain's high street banks: Interactive graphic reveals how 1,400 ... trends now

Across Britain, the number of banks has fallen from almost 15,000 in 1986 to less than 6,000 today. Building societies have also faced a similar decline, falling from almost 7,000 to 1,900.

The pace of closure has not abated. Since 2022, 1,400 high street banks closed. In almost 400 cases, the branch was the last full-time financial institution in town.

In Kirkby Stephen in Cumbria, locals have first-hand knowledge of the situation.

The quaint town, just off the A66, is a popular stop-off point for tourists travelling to the Lake District or the Yorkshire Dales, but residents fear for its future as amenities are slowly disappearing one by one.

There has been a bank welcoming locals on Market Street continually since 1863, but Barclays' decision to axe their branch brings that piece of the town's history to an abrupt end.

Customers must now travel to Barnard Castle, County Durham, to do their transactions, a 21 mile journey which takes 55 minutes by bus - however they won't even have that facility for long. 

Early next year Barclays plans to close that branch too, one of six earmarked for closure in 2025 after a cull of 68 branches this year.

A notice posted by the bank confirms it will shut its doors for the last time at 12pm on January 17th.

However it seeks to assure customers: 'We'll continue to be part of your community in Barnard Castle. We're just finalising the arrangements of where and when we'll be available to support you, and as soon as they are confirmed we'll share the details.'

By the end of next year Barclays will have closed 83 per cent of its branches in the space of 10 years, leaving only 244 operational across the country.

In Kirkby Stephen it was the last one standing after the HSBC branch just up the road became a Costa coffee shop six years ago.

Hardware store owner Mick Mack, 50, says the closure is symptomatic of the fate of the town's main street.

He said: 'Since Covid the high street in Kirkby Stephen has been dead, it feels like business is dying off and this is just another blow.

'It's sad to see the town like this because it used to be so much busier, even in recent years, and people liked to be able to go into their bank and do business in person, that's just the way some prefer it.

'I think it's sad, especially for older people who have been used to speaking to someone they know and trust.

'Towns like this need a thriving high street. At our end of it there was a hub in the old church which had a post office, a cafe and artisan food, but it closed after the pandemic and took much of the footfall with it.'

It is a problem that is regularly being raised in parliament. In January, a report published by the House of Lords investigated the impact such closures are having on the elderly, those living in rural areas and people with disabilities.

The Federation of Small Businesses has also raised the issue, claiming the the lack of accesses to a branch network adversely affects their members.

When questioned in 2021, a senior executive at Barclays bank told parliament: 'Profound technological changes, and the ease with which customers can access their accounts digitally means that our physical branch network is experiencing a sustained fall in demand. In fact, the majority of our customers (74 per cent) now choose to interact with us via telephone, online, or mobile banking.'

Sandy Lancaster, 55, a town councillor and owner of Sandy's Ice Cream and Party Shop, says the elderly have been worst affected.

She said: 'Older people deal more in cash than younger people so it has hit them hardest.

'Sometimes they just want to talk to someone face to face and they don't trust doing business online, which is hardly surprising as scams are so regular and can now be very convincing.

'So to be able to walk into your local branch and meet a friendly face who you know and trust was a really valuable service which is now missing.

'The staff at the branch were very well liked and trusted people, so it's also sad that they are no longer there for the community.

'The loss of the cash machine is probably the worst aspect of the closure for most people.

'It means that we only have one now and it is at the garage at the end of town so not very convenient and because it's so busy it often runs out of cash.

'That's proved problematic for some food businesses which operate in cash. One of the takeaways was asking people queuing for food to do bank transfers one evening recently because cash wasn't available.'

It is hoped that a post office will be established in the former Barclays building and that an ATM machine will be reinstalled at some point in the coming months.