TWO local HSBC banks are set to close later this year as the bank confirmed 69 branches would close for good.

The closure could affect around 400 workers across all its branches, just over a year after HSBC closed 82 branches.

Locally, the Lymington branch will close in August while the Ringwood branch is set to shut in September.

HSBC said that less than 50 per cent of its customers now regularly use it branch network, with footfall dropping sharply over the past five years.

A spokesman for the bank added that it hopes to redeploy all 400 staff to new roles within 15 miles of their homes.

Jackie Uhi, head of HSBC UK’s branch network, said: “The way people bank is changing – something the pandemic has accelerated.

“Our branches continue to support people with their more complex banking needs, but the way we can do this has also evolved, with the addition of banking hubs, community pop ups and continued use of the Post Office network.

“Rather than a one-size-fits-all branch approach, it’s an approach built around the way different customers are choosing to bank in different areas.”