AROUND 600 jobs are being axed and 32 branches closed at Royal Bank of Scotland in the latest jobs cull at the state-backed lender.

The job losses will impact its retail banking division, with around 200 roles going across London and the South East and almost 400 being cut in the Midlands, East and the North, according to trade union Unite.

Unite said the job cuts come as 32 RBS branches are being shut, with many more seeing their opening hours reduced.

The union said 220 branches are changing their opening hours across the North, while 94 are seeing hours reduced in the Midlands and East.

Lyn Turner, Unite regional officer, said: "With job losses across the country and surviving branches on reduced hours, there's no doubt this latest round of cuts will hurt the bank's customers as well as our members.

"With every branch closure, NatWest is slamming its doors on another community, dangerously undermining the bank's long-term future."

Its latest job losses mean RBS has axed 1,500 roles so far this year as it looks to trim costs and stem losses.

The taxpayer-backed lender racked up its eighth year in a row of annual losses in 2015, posting a deficit of £2bn.

As well as its efforts to make savings, RBS is also shutting branches as more people bank online - a trend changing the entire UK retail banking industry.

A NatWest spokesman said the decision to close the branches comes after banking has "changed significantly over the last few years".

He added: "Where there are job cuts this is clearly difficult news for staff affected by these changes.

"We are doing everything we can to support them, including seeking redeployment opportunities wherever possible and ensuring that compulsory redundancies are kept to a minimum."