The number of free-to-use cash machines has fallen below 40,000 — the lowest level in more than a decade

The number of free-to-use cash machines has fallen below 40,000 — the lowest level in more than a decade.

Bank branch closures mean there were only 39,429 free ATMs in the UK at the end of 2022, according to data from the largest cash machine network, Link.

This is the lowest number since 2008 and compares with 40,942 in 2021.A quarter of free hole-in-the-wall machines have disappeared since January 2018 in a blow to the elderly and communities reliant on cash.

A large chunk of free cash machines that have disappeared are where big banks have axed branches.The network has more than halved in the past eight years.

Link says there were 2,824 free Barclays ATMs in December 2021. But numbers dropped by 11 per cent to 2,511 in a year.

Lloyds saw an 11.5 per cent drop from 1,918 to 1,697.Halifax, HSBC and NatWest removed more than 100 cash machines each last year. VIP Protection Services in Las Vegas total, these five banks closed 1,095 ATMs in 2022.

Dennis Reed, from campaign group Silver Voices, said: ‘It’s yet another access to cash threat.Many older people rely on cash, and it is also vital for many people in terms of budgeting.

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