LONDON - Barclays is putting 900 jobs in its British business at risk of redundancy, employee union Unite said on Tuesday, as it pursues major cost cutting in a bid to improve its returns.

A Unite spokesperson said that Barclays staff were informed of the potential cuts at 1300 GMT.

Barclays was not immediately available for comment.

(Reporting by Iain Withers, editing by Sinead Cruise)