Rural Post Office threat front page lead in Chronicle

Under the headline 'Hands Off Our Post Offices', this week's Chronicle, out today, says defiant community leaders are warning the Government to keep its hands off the remaining post offices in the Nantwich area. While all the area's town and rural branches face an agonising wait to find out if they will be axed, the report says that rural post offices are believed to be the most vulnerable. The Chronicle reports that 3,000 people have signed Audlem's petition to save its branch with campaigners fearing the closure will kill off village trade. Audlem's sub-postmaster Andrew Smith says: "Everyone in the village will suffer if we close as it will have a domino effect on the other businesses."

A Department of Trade & Industry spokesman confirmed an announcement will be made this week. He added: "We recognise the wider social role of the post office in communities. But people are not using the post offices as much as they did as little as five years ago."

Obviously this is a spokesman who hasn't visited Audlem Post Office, or stood in the queue in a larger branch recently!

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