Santander UK has put 750 jobs at risk after announcing that 95 of its 444 UK branches are to close, including 11 in Scotland.

Of the remaining branches, 36 will operate on reduced hours branches, 18 will be “counter-free”, and five are “Work Cafés”, a concept the bank said it is rolling out globally. Only 290 full-service branches will remain.

The bank, headquartered in Spain, said financial transactions completed in branches fell 61% since 2019 while the use of internet banking to open accounts and conduct banking rose.

“Closing a branch is always a very difficult decision and we spend a great deal of time assessing where and when we do this and how to minimise the impact it may have on our customers,” a spokesperson said.

It said that even after the closures, 93% of the UK population will continue to be within 10 miles of a Santander branch. Customers can also conduct banking in 11,000 Post Office branches nationwide and 112 banking hubs.

The following Scottish branches are to close before the end of the year:

Aberdare
Arbroath
Cumbernauld
Glasgow St Vincents Street
Glasgow The Avenue
Hawick
Musselburgh
Peterhead
Saltcoats
Wishaw

No date has been given for the closure of the Turriff branch.

There have been recent reports that the bank could leave the UK, though it has sought to play down the speculation.