Ayr's Santander branch is to have its opening times cut as part of a UK-wide shake-up by the bank. 

The decision to change the opening times of the branch comes after the bank said that the number of customers using its branches has fell by a third over the two years prior to the coronavirus pandemic followed by a further 50 per cent in 2020 and 12 per cent in 2021. 

In line with the changes to opening hours of their branches the bank plans to bolster it's telephone support for its customers and has said that branch staff will be trained to support on the phones alongside their face-to-face roles. 

The company says customers will still be able to arrange face-to-face appointments at the branch if needed. 

The changes, taking effect on July 18, will see all the affected branches move to being open for only a half day on Saturdays, meaning that the branch in Ayr will be open from 9.30am to 12.30pm. 

Richard Owen, head of branches at Santander, said: "These changes will enable us to maintain our existing branch network while providing significant additional capacity to help customers who want to talk to us by phone.

"We have seen a continuing reduction in branch usage over several years, both before and since the peak of the pandemic, with many customers preferring to transact digitally or contact us by phone.

"We want to make sure we have the right mix of channels to help our customers however they choose to bank with us."

Santander have also said that they will be writing to customers who regularly use their branches to explain the new opening times and give them further support to help deal with the changes.