Falkirk area William Hill shops could go as firm plans to axe 700 UK stores

The bookmaker has announced it is consulting on plans to shut around 700 of its UK stores.

A large number of redundancies are expected and around 4500 employees are at risk of losing their jobs.

The move could have an impact on William Hill shops across the region, which include stores in Falkirk town centre, Bainsford, Bonnybridge, Camelon, Carronshore, Denny and Grangemouth.

It follows a government decision taken in April to slash the maximum stake on fixed-odds betting terminals to £2 due to widespread concerns players were able to lose large amounts of cash in a short space of time.

Since the reduction was introduced, William Hill has seen “a significant fall” in gaming machine revenues.

A company statement read: “The group will look to apply voluntary redundancy and redeployment measures extensively and will be providing support to all colleagues throughout the process.

“Subject to the outcome of the consultation process, shop closures are likely to begin before the end of the year.”

The bookmaker has 2300 shops and 12,500 staff.