Santander is closing three of its south Essex branches this summer as customers switch to banking online.

Branches in Leigh, Wickford and Grays are set to close as the bank announced 111 of its branches across the country would shut by the end of August this year.

The Spanish-owned lender said that most of the branches being axed were under three miles from another branch, with the furthest being five miles away.

The Leigh branch, situated on 85 The Broadway, will close on August 5.

The Wickford branch, on 18A High Street, will close on July 8.

The Grays branch, 30 High Street, will close on July 29.

Adam Bishop, head of of branches at Santander said: "Branch usage by customers has fallen considerably over recent years so we have made the difficult decision to consolidate our presence in areas where we have multiple branches relatively close together.

"We will provide every support to customers of closing branches to find alternative ways to bank with us that best suit their individual needs.

"We are also working alongside our unions to support colleagues through these changes and to find alternative roles for those impacted wherever possible."

The number of jobs at risk remains unclear.

The lender said: "Santander has consulted its trade unions on the closure proposals and expects to be able to find alternative roles for a significant number of those colleagues wishing to stay with the bank."

Santander is set to carry out a "programme of activities" to support customers of closing branches to find other ways to bank.

This includes help to find alternative branches and access digital, telephone and Post Office banking services.

The bank will also hold a series of online events over the coming months to explain alternative ways of banking.