by business editor Trevor Sturgess

Banking jobs in Kent are at risk with the likely closure of two business financial centres.

National Australia Bank (NAB), the owner of Clydesdale and Yorkshire Banks, has announced that 1,400 jobs would go across the UK by September 2015. Eleven of them are in Kent.

It said 29 business centres would shut, mostly in southern England and including the operations at Turkey Mill, Maidstone, and Church Road, Tunbridge Wells.

The shock decision by the former sponsor of UK Twenty20 cricket - Clydesdale sponsors the Pro40 contest - comes after a strategic review.

NAB has decided to focus its retail and business operations in its traditional Scottish and Northern England heartlands.

The UK arm recently posted lower profits - down 3.2% to £244m - with a £25m cash earnings loss.

However, mortgage growth was up 10.9% and retail deposits up £800m to £24.2bn.

Chief executive David Thorburn said: "While the vast majority of our customers will be unaffected by the changes, unfortunately we do need to streamline the business and lose jobs. I don’t underestimate the impact of this on the employees affected, but our half year results clearly demonstrate why we need to act."