HIGH Street bank HSBC has this week announced that it will be closing 114 branches across England in 2023.

HSBC has shared that the move comes as a result of more people choosing to use online banking over visiting a physical branch to do their banking.

Many readers were not happy about the news.

Readers reacted and pointed out some of the issues closing the banks will cause, saying: “So more people lose their jobs. Not everyone has access to internet.”

“I guess they don't realise that not everyone has access to the Internet.”

People questioned the reasoning behind shutting the high street banks, asking: “What are you doing about loyal customers that don’t have access to internet and don’t have telephone banking, like older people?”

“Why not go to smaller places within the community or counters in supermarkets then they can open at the same time as the supermarket?”

One reader said they were: “Not surprised, local branch has been useless for a long time by discouraging customers and removing facilities.”

Another reader called out the bank for stating that it was due to customers retreating to online banks that has led to branches needing to shut down, commenting: “No, banks forced us to do online banking, their fault not ours.”

Several other readers agreed, saying: “Forcing on us a cashless society.”

"It's just one step closer to the WEFs plan for a cashless society and I'm sick of it!"

 “Definitely. Barclays is rarely open and sometimes it won't let me transfer money between accounts online which means I can't access my money!"