THOUSANDS of Hampshire staff of Lloyds bank are this morning breathing a sigh of relief that none of the 4,500 job cuts announced yesterday will come from the county.

The cuts, described as a “devastating blow” by unions, take the losses at Britain’s biggest bank to 20,000 since the start of the year.

Lloyds said that 1,600 permanent roles will be affected across the UK, 1,150 temporary and contract staff will be “released” and a further 1,750 offshore contractor jobs will be cut.

A bank spokesman confirmed to the Daily Echo that none of the roles lost would come from Hampshire, where it has bases in Whiteley and at Town Quay in Southampton, as well as scores of branches and more than 20 Halifax sites.

Accord union deputy general secretary Clive Webster said: “Whilst we welcome the fact that Lloyds Banking Group (LBG) is cutting back on UK and offshore contractors rather than making redundant an even larger number of permanent staff, the fact is that after today’s announcement around 2,750 UK taxpayers who currently work for LBG will lose their jobs and their income.

“In a difficult economic climate, the chances of them finding similar roles will be very slim.”

Cath Speight, national officer at Unite, said: “It is an absolute disgrace that Lloyds Banking Group, which is being kept alive by the taxpayer, is cutting more jobs and moving their jobs out of the UK.

“Instead of moving jobs from this country, they should wake up and realise the importance of their skilled workforce.

“Since the taxpayer stepped in to keep this bank afloat, the management have shown no acknowledgement for the dedication of their staff who have ensured it can continue to service their customers, instead rewarding them with over 20,000 job cuts.”

Lloyds said: “The group’s policy is to use natural turnover and to redeploy people wherever possible to retain their expertise and knowledge within the group. By making less use of contractors and agency employees it reduces the impact on permanent staff.

“Where it is necessary for employees to leave the company, it will look to achieve this by offering voluntary severance. Compulsory redundancies will always be a last resort.”