TAXPAYER-BACKED Royal Bank of Scotland is closing 44 UK branches.

Bosses say the cuts include 14 sites classes as 'last banks in town', which are only open a few hours every week.

The branches are based in Cheshire, Dorset, Derbyshire, Liverpool, Scotland and Wales.

The move comes after bosses pledged in 2010 not to close such sites.

It has not revealed the locations of the remaining branches, but says it has been telling affected customers over the last two months.

The closures will take place in May and June, and bosses say they hope to re-depoly workers where possible.

It added customers will still have access to services through the Post Office and cash machines, with affected Scottish customers using a mobile van.

A spokesman said: “Banking has changed significantly over the last few years as more and more people are banking with us where and when it is convenient for them.

“We have to adapt to what our customers want.

“That is why we're investing in a range of other ways our customers can bank with us, including online and telephone banking, and the Post Office's 11,500 UK branches.”

The closures comes two months after RBS said it planned to slash costs by more than £5bn over four years, after its annual results showed it made a loss of £8.2bn in 2013.