SANTANDER have become the latest bank to announce huge branch closures, but Hawick and Galashiels have been spared the axe.

The Spanish-owned bank have today announced the closure of 140 branches across the UK, including 15 in Scotland, saying branch transactions had fallen by 23% in the last three years.

The news comes after RBS announced the closure of one in four of it’s branches last year, with Hawick, Eyemouth, Melrose, Selkirk and Jedburgh and Duns in the Scottish Borders all losing their branches.

Local MP John Lamont has said the news is a reminder of the importance of using your local bank branch in order to keep it.

Commenting, John Lamont MP said: “Residents and businesses in Hawick and Galashiels can breathe a sigh of relief that they are not going to be losing another bank branch from this latest round of closures.

“However, this is a timely reminder to everyone in the Borders of the importance of using your local branch so that the banks are not given an excuse to close them. I also hope that the backlash RBS faced, although it did not change their minds, might make other banks think twice about closing branches in this area.

“The loss of the banks in any high street is a big blow, particularly in rural towns like the Borders. Many businesses, local groups and vulnerable people rely on local banking services. That is why we must all do our bit to help keep these local branches open in the future.”