An SNP MP has hit out at commercial banks following the news of its planned closure of a Glasgow branch this summer.

The Glasgow Times previously reported that the Lloyds Banking Group will shut its Bank of Scotland Riddrie branch on August 9.

Now, Glasgow North East MP Anne McLaughlin has accused the group of 'abandoning communities most in need of their services.'

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She said: "This branch serves a community with a high percentage of elderly people with no access to online banking and the removal of this will be a devastating blow to the area.

"This is the last bank remaining open in the whole of the Glasgow North East constituency and its closure will give it the unenviable accolade of being one of the few, if not the only constituency, in the whole of the UK without a single operating bank."

Dismissing claims that similar services are available within the local area she continued: “The Post Office in Riddrie is currently closed due to the lack of a postmaster, so even the reduced services that it would normally offer are unavailable.”

Ms McLaughlin claims that her constituents are worried that they will be unable to control their accounts without face to face customers service.

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With a cost of living crisis on the horizon, the MP has argued that maintaining a level of service to communities should be a condition of banking groups' commercial licences.

She said: "These banks make billions of pounds every year and are never slow to pay out bonuses but can’t take away community services quick enough.

"I think it is time that legislation was put in place to ensure that communities like Glasgow North East are not left without a single branch servicing them.”

Although a date has been firmly set for the Bank's closure, Ms McLaughlin has pledged to seek a meeting with Lloyd’s and raise the matter in Parliament.