BETTING giant William Hill has announced the closure of hundreds of stores nationwide.

The company, which has stores in Carlisle and Wigton, has plans to close about 700 stores with a potential loss of 4,500 jobs.

The group warned a "large number of redundancies" are expected and it has begun consultation meetings with the 4,500 affected staff.

William Hill said of its store closure plans: "This follows the Government's decision to reduce the maximum stake on B2 gaming products to £2 on, April 1, 2019.

"Since then the company has seen a significant fall in gaming machine revenues, in line with the guidance given when the Government's decision was announced in May 2018."

It plans to begin shutting shops by the end of the year.

No stores have been named at the moment.