The Royal Bank of Scotland has announced that it is cutting 443 UK jobs and moving the roles to India.

The bank said the move was part of a cost cutting drive.

The Unite union said UK workers and taxpayers would be harmed by the cost saving decision.

A union spokesman told the BBC: "By shipping these jobs to India, RBS will be getting that work done more cheaply at the cost of jobs and livelihoods here in the UK."

The bank said staff in Mumbai would take over non-customer service roles such as background checks, with UK staff continuing in roles which required customer contact.

A spokesman for the RBS group said: "As we become a simpler, smaller bank, we are making some changes to the way we serve our customers.

"Unfortunately, these changes will result in the net reduction of 443 roles in the UK."