Data has revealed that Southampton has lost one in six ATMs in the last three years. 

New analysis of data from LINK, a network of cash machines, shows there were 192 ATMs open in Southampton as of June this year.

This was a 16 percent decrease from 228 in June 2021, and reflects a national trend as cash is used less year on year with one in 10 cash machines in the UK having now been removed. 

In Southampton, 165 machines are free to use, while 27 charge a fee.

Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, said free access to cash is "absolutely vital" for older people, given many of them do not manage their money online.

"The decline in ATMs is concerning, although the new regulations recently introduced by the Financial Conduct Authority should protect access for the vast majority of people."

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FCA rules introduced in September require banks to give more consideration to local communities before they close a branch.

Southampton saw a local Lloyds bank branch in Shirley close its doors despite backlash from residents in the Shirley area. 

Ms Abrahams added: "We hope that the Government will continue to monitor the situation and will be able to act if necessary." 

Regional analysis shows London and the South West have been worst impacted, losing one in seven machines, while in the South East, 12 percent have closed.

In addition, 12 local authority areas lost at least a quarter of their ATMs over this period. 

As a silver lining for consumers, ATMs which charge a fee are disappearing much faster than those that do not.

More than one in five surcharging ATMs closed between 2021 and 2024, compared to 6 percent of free machines.

Nick Quin, head of financial inclusion at LINK, said: "As more people are choosing to pay for things digitally or with contactless payments, it does mean that we are using less cash and as a consequence, we have fewer cash machines."