THE Newton Abbot branch of Santander has escaped the latest round of branch closures.

The town’s branch is not listed among the 95 earmarked for closure, despite several from Devon being on the list, including Torquay, Exmouth, Plympton and Honiton.

However, this does not mean Newton Abbot will be unaffected.

The high-street bank is also looking to reduce hours at 36 branches and remove the front counter from 18 others, and these branches have yet to be named.

The announcement by Santander comes as its moves to restructure its business, saying that customers are increasingly moving toward online banking.

At present, the bank operates 444 branches across the UK, with closures beginning in June.