TWO North Ayrshire Clydesdale Banks are to shut after the company announced the closure of 40 of its branches.

The Clydesdale Bank in Saltcoats' Hamilton Street is set to close on June 5 and the Beith branch will shut on June 13.

The nearest Clydesdale branch to Saltcoats is in Irvine, while Beith customers face almost a 13 mile hike to Paisley.

CYBG PLC, the parent company of Clydesdale Bank, announced that its branch network would be reducing as part of the bank’s strategy to create a “truly integrated digital, mobile, telephone and branch service for its customers”.

Clydesdale Bank anticipates that around 200 staff will be at risk of redundancy and subject to their redeployment process. All employees affected by these changes will be fully supported through the process.

See next week's Herald for more details and local reaction.