NATWEST branches in Chard, Crewkerne and Axminster are set to shut next year after a shock announcement from the Royal Bank of Scotland.

The Chard branch is set to close on June 6, the Crewkerne branch will shut on June 13, and the Axminster branch is expecting to stop operating on May 30 of next year.

A spokesman for RBS said: “We provide our customers with more ways to bank than ever before – customers can choose from a range of digital, face-to-face and local options.

“The way people bank with us has changed radically over the last few years. Since 2014, the number of customers using our branches across the UK has fallen by 40%.

“During the same period mobile transactions have increased by 73%, and in the first half of 2017, there were 1.1 billion mobile and online transactions carried out by our customers, an increase 41% since 2014.”

According to RBS, 85% of customers in Axminster and 84% of customers in Chard and Crewkerne are already using other banking methods such as online banking and apps.

Transactions in NatWest Axminster branch have reduced by 13% since 2012, with now only 57 customers visiting the branch on a weekly basis.

Transactions in NatWest Chard branch have reduced by 32% since 2012 with now only 61 customers visiting the branch on a weekly basis.

Meanwhile, transactions in NatWest Crewkerne branch have reduced by 31% since 2012 with now only 52 customers visiting the branch on a weekly basis.

The RBS spokesman added: “We are communicating with our customers affected by these closures and proactively contacting vulnerable customers and regular branch users.

“We have extended the time between announcing our decision and the branch closure to six months.

“This has been done so that we can ensure our customers have enough time to consider the right banking options for them and to give us time to support them one-to-one during the transition.

“We are committed to ensuring our customers and communities are able to continue accessing quality banking services.

“As part of this, our new Community Banker provides customers with personal assistance and support to access our non-cash services, as well as help with achieving their financial plans and goals – replicating many of the services available in our branches.

“We know that not all of our customers are comfortable or familiar with using online or mobile banking, so we have created a new specialist taskforce of NatWest TechXperts who will be dedicated to supporting our customers with training and support with digital skills until the branches close.

Natwest and RBS provide a range of alternative ways to bank. These include online and mobile, by telephone, by video banking, through the post office, ATMs, TechXperts, and through other branches.