DOZENS of jobs are to be lost in Oxfordshire after banking giant Lloyds revealed it is closing down all branches of the Cheltenham & Gloucester.

The Oxfordshire outlets are in Oxford’s High Street; Pound Way, Cowley; High Street, Witney; and High Street, Chipping Norton.

More than 30 workers will lose their jobs.

Helen Weir, Lloyds group retail executive director, said: “The strategic focus for C&G from now on will be to further strengthen its intermediary and direct savings businesses.

“Another major priority for us is to ensure that we manage the closure of the C&G branch network so that it causes as little disruption as possible to our customers.

"We will work through these changes carefully and sensitively and continue to consult closely with our unions throughout the process.”

Up to 1,660 full-time jobs will be affected by the cuts across the country, with all 164 C&G branches to close in November.

Lloyds said Cheltenham & Gloucester customers would be able to manage their accounts at Lloyds TSB's 1,800 branches.

Changes are also being made to Lloyds' Black Horse Personal Finance business, with a reduction in the number of Black Horse centres from 92 to 61. The firm is also reorganising its CarSelect business, with 140 full-time jobs to go by October.

Lloyds said it would try to achieve the job cuts through natural turnover, making less use of contractors and redeploying staff where possible.

Derek Simpson, joint general secretary of the Unite union, said: “This move by Lloyds will rip the heart out of hundreds of communities up and down the country, as customers see their valued branch close.”