One of the UK's largest banking groups has confirmed it will close two Kent high street branches later this year.

It has been revealed 18 Halifax sites and 22 Lloyds premises across the UK will shut between April and June - including ones in Whitstable and Gillingham.

This will add to the 64 closures nationwide that have been announced since the beginning of the year, with Barclays and TSB having already earmarked 24 banks for the chop.

The Lloyds in Gillingham High Street will shut on April 25, while the one in Whitstable High Street will lock its doors for good a few weeks later on May 11.

A spokesman for Lloyds, which also owns Halifax, said: “Branches play an important part in our strategy, but we need to have them in the right places where they are well-used.

"We’ll continue to invest in branches that are being used regularly, alongside our online, mobile app and telephone services.”

Banking giant HSBC announced in November it will close 114 branches across the UK next year.

Among those, two Kent branches will be axed in April and May due to declining footfall.

The HSBC branch in Biggin Street, Dover, will close on May 9, while the branch in High Street, Tonbridge, will shut on July 25 next year.

The company said it is investing 10s of millions of pounds in updating and improving its remaining branch network, which will total 327 after the new wave of closures.

In May last year, Lloyds Banking Group also revealed it will shut 66 stores, including three in Kent.

A total of 48 Lloyds Bank branches and 18 Halifax sites were set to be axed between October and this month as more customers switch to using online banking services.

The premises in New Romney was the first of three in the county to close in November, before being followed by the store in Tonbridge.