Gardaí and the Defence Forces are no longer providing escorts for the majority of cash deliveries to banks, which can be worth millions of euro at a time.

The Irish Independent reports that the move is due to financial constraints.

It says the escort security detail, which involved at least eight armed soldiers in two vehicles as well as two plain clothes gardaí, stopped operating two weeks ago.

It would be the first time in almost 40 years that millions of euro has been transported around the country without an armed escort.

It is understood security was provided for an average of 1,900 cash-in-transit trips throughout the country each year.

Reporter with the Irish Independent is Emma Jane Hade. She says it is something the banks can no longer afford.