A NORTH Yorkshire market town is to become the latest in the region to lose a bank branch.

NatWest bank in Thirsk, based in the centre of the town overlooking the Market Square, will shut on October 5.

Branches of NatWest in Knaresborough and Haxby on the outskirts of York will also close.

They are among 150 NatWest and Royal Bank of Scotland branches affected, resulting in hundreds of job losses, after what the bank described as a “dramatic shift” in customer banking.

A spokeswoman for NatWest said they had seen transactions in the Thirsk branch decline by about a third since 2011.

She said: “The way people choose to bank with us has changed radically over the last few years. Between 2010 and 2015, mobile and online transactions have increased by over 400 per cent and mobile transactions alone have increased by 1,350 per cent.

“Since 2011 we have seen the number of transactions in the Thirsk branch decline by 30 per cent. These customers are actively choosing to bank in different ways, with 62.5 per cent of customers choosing to use our digital banking options.

“We are communicating with our customers affected by the closure and proactively contacting vulnerable and regular branch customers. We have listened closely to feedback from local communities and have extended the time between announcing our decision and the branch closure to six months."

She said NatWest TechXperts will be in each NatWest branch from next month, helping customers with digital skills when using online or mobile banking.

Hambleton District Council leader and local ward councillor Mark Robson said it was a blow, particularly as HSBC had just announced the closure of a branch in nearby Easingwold. The corporation announced 62 branches will shut, including ones in Stokesley, Kirkbymoorside and Consett.

The Yorkshire Bank also announced this year it will be closing dozens of branches in North Yorkshire and the North-East.

Cllr Robson said: “It makes you wonder how much longer before the rest of the banks will close. It’s the loss of another facility for people. I’m aware of a number of people who have already moved their account when their local branch closed.

“I know banks say people are increasingly banking on the internet, but not everybody has that capacity.”

Nationally, the decision will affect 30 RBS and 128 NatWest branches and about 470 jobs.