ALMOST 20 per cent of Brighton's high street cash machines have been closed within two years.

Between January 2019 and September last year, the number of ATM machines in the city has been reduced by 15, according to research by merchant payment provider Dojo.

It means there are now 63 cash machines available, and Brighton ranked fifth in a list of the cities which saw the greatest decline in ATMs over the period.

The report shows the number of cash machines on British high streets fell by more than 7,000 during the period – an average of 340 machines disappearing every month.

Free to use ATMs have declined at a faster rate, according to the research.

It comes after a major report warned the UK is "sleepwalking" into a cashless society.

The Access to Cash Review, conducted in 2019, found eight million people in Britain rely on cash as a necessity.

Jon Knott, head of Customer Insights at Dojo said: "During the course of the coronavirus pandemic, the makeup of the great British high street has changed enormously.

"While it’s long been evolving in the face of the rising of the digital marketplace, coronavirus has reaffirmed the dominance of financial technologies.

"With more and more people opting for Apple and Google Pay which has no capped limit for contactless payments, consumers are welcoming the efficiency and speed at which they can purchase larger value products and services.

"It is no surprise then, in our digitised economy, that the use of cash is decreasing, making ATMs redundant."