Lloyds Banking Group will continue to slash its high street presence with 79 branches set to close across Britain over the next year, This is Money can reveal. 

Some 31 Lloyds Bank branches and 48 of Halifax, which Lloyds owns, will shut their doors. 

The north west and south east regions will be the worst affected, with 12 branches closing apiece. London will see 10 branches close. 

The announcement follows the banking group's previous decision to close 95 branches which was announced in February. 

If all branches close, it will leave Lloyds Banking Group with 531 branches across Britain.  

The bank said that its customers could use any brand under its umbrella - Halifax, Lloyds or Bank of Scotland. 

It added that more than three quarters of the closed branches were within a mile of another Lloyds Banking Group site and that 95 per cent have an alternative location within five miles. 

The increased use of banking apps and online banking has led to less use of physical branches by customers.

Before this announcement, almost 250 banks were due to close in 2026 as major banks continue to withdraw from the high street. 

Santander is closing 54 branches this year, and NatWest is closing 35 banks. 

The effect may be more pronounced for older customers who still rely on face-to-face banking, warned the Civil Service Pensioners' Alliance. 

It said: 'We believe that access to banking and cash should be treated as an essential service, not an optional extra.

'As the financial system becomes increasingly digital, the needs of older people must not be ignored. Pensioners have contributed to society throughout their working lives and deserve to manage their money with dignity, security and independence.' 

A Lloyds spokesman said: 'With access to one of the biggest branch networks in the UK, alongside local banking options like our Community Bankers, the Post Office, PayPoint, plus our leading apps and 24/7 messaging service, we offer our customers more choice and convenience than ever before.' 

Last month, we revealed that more bank branches were likely to close - and highlighted Lloyds and Halifax as the main part of this threat.

That's because Lloyds is reportedly considering an end to the Halifax brand as part of a sweeping review. This would see all Halifax customers migrate to Lloyds Bank.

There are concerns Lloyds could close Halifax branches on high streets where there is also a Lloyds branch as it could argue it would not need two Lloyds branches in the same vicinity.

Our analysis shows there are 178 locations with a Lloyds and Halifax branch in close vicinity. Lloyds says no decision has been made on the Halifax brand's future. 

Of all the major banks, the worst offender for branch closures by far is Barclays, our analysis shows.

It now has just 206 sites across England, Scotland and Wales, down from 1,374 in December 2015 – an 85 per cent cull.

With this latest cut in branches, Lloyds Banking Group will become the second worst offender, dropping around 76 per cent of branches in the same timeframe.