The Spain-based banking giant said the closures are part of a move away from its branch network due to the growing use of digital banking. Santander said closing branches will be replaced with “community bankers”, who will operate from Santander Local stores or banking hubs to keep a presence in local communities. These are the latest closures to hit the county, after Santander shut its branches in Colne and Rawtenstall in July last year as 95 branches were axed by the bank. Its branches in Cleveleys shut in June, Formby shut in August, while the Lytham St Annes branch also shut. A spokesperson for Santander said: “In response to a continuing and sizeable shift towards customers using digital banking, we are making changes to our branches to better support our customers.