By Jesús Aguado

MADRID (Reuters) -Spain’s Santander has started a round of job cuts at its British unit as part of the lender’s plans to save costs in a competitive banking environment in the United Kingdom, a person familiar with the matter said on Friday.

The savings were focused on the Spanish bank’s regional headquarters, the person said, without providing any numbers.

As of June, Santander UK had 22,214 employees.

A Santander spokesperson said that the bank “continuously” looks at its operating model to “ensure our teams are organised in the best way to support our customers effectively and efficiently”.

The lender reported a 23% year-on-year decline in its second-quarter net profit in Britain, amid fierce competition in the mortgage market.

The redundancy plan also takes place as lenders worldwide are shifting towards online banking to serve clients.

The lender’s spokesperson said that the bank has in place a “strategic approach that puts the customer need at the heart of our key priorities, thinking and decision making for the years to come”.

(Reporting by Jesús Aguado; Editing by Andrei Khalip, Louise Heavens and Emelia Sithole-Matarise)