The Taunton branch of Natwest looks set to avoid the axe after the bank announced a raft of closures.

Natwest has revealed it is closing 43 branches across the country. Fortunately, none of the branches in Somerset, including Taunton's on Fore Street, are listed for the chop.

This latest announcement comes just months after it closed 32 other branches earlier this year. The banks says most customers are shifting to mobile and online banking.

These latest outlets will close in the first half of next year and the move means the group will have 678 UK branches, down from its current figure of 721, the Guardian reports.

NatWest Group – which said in July that it had “delivered a strong performance” in the first half of this year, and would help its customers to “thrive in a challenging environment” – came under fire from some commentators after the announcement.

A NatWest spokesperson said: "As with many industries, most of our customers are shifting to mobile and online banking because it’s faster and easier for people to manage their financial lives.

"We understand and recognise that digital solutions aren’t right for everyone or every situation and that when we close branches, we have to make sure that no one is left behind.

"We take our responsibility seriously to support the people who face challenges in moving online, so we are investing to provide them with support and alternatives that work for them."

The full list of Natwest closures

  • Henley-on-Thames
  • Thame
  • Cheltenham Bath Road
  • Ayr
  • Dundee
  • Devizes
  • Beeston
  • Berkhamsted
  • St Neots
  • Cleethorpes
  • Broadstone
  • Market Harborough
  • Clitheroe
  • Eastleigh
  • Shipley
  • Ilkley
  • Buxton
  • Glossop
  • Aberdeen
  • Southsea
  • Tonbridge
  • Sandbach
  • Waterlooville
  • Cheadle
  • Glasgow
  • Headington
  • Caterham
  • Oxted
  • Coventry Walsgrave Road
  • Edinburgh
  • Gerrards Cross
  • Lewes High Street
  • Balham
  • Uckfield
  • Addiscombe
  • Stourbridge
  • Whitehaven
  • Wetherby
  • Potters Bar
  • Bromsgrove
  • Wokingham
  • Bloomsbury Parrs, London
  • Upper Parkstone, Poole