VILLAGERS whose post offices are threatened with closure next spring are mounting petition campaigns and writing protest letters as part of the Gazette & Herald's campaign.

An eleventh-hour protest meeting is being held at Ryedale House on January 14 at 6.30pm - three days before the closing date for public consultation - in a bid by councillors and local decision-makers to influence Post Office Ltd to rethink its plans to close.

The parish council at West Heslerton is master-minding opposition to the closure of its sub office which has been run for the past 25 years by Mrs Catherine Creaser at her home in the village.

Ninety-per cent of residents use it, she said, and it is particularly popular with parents taking children to and from school from outlying villages and farms.

She said: "It is convenient because there's plenty of parking and they don't face long queues."

But for the older generation in West Heslerton closure of the post office is going to cause severe hardship because while the village is served by an hourly bus service to either Malton or Scarborough they will have to wait in all weathers on the busy A64 road, said Mrs Creaser.

As well as protests from the parish council, many residents have written letters to the Post Office and to John Greenway, Ryedale's MP, who is backing the campaign to save local post offices.

Meanwhile at Foxholes, residents are 'disgusted', said parish clerk, Dawn Raper.

"People will have to make long journeys to the nearest office at Driffield, Seamer or Hunmanby because those in neighbouring villages have either closed or are threatened with closure, "she said.

Sub postmistress Sue Milner blamed the switching of paying pensions into banks for the demise of the use of the Post Office service.

"The villagers are very disappointed at the threat of closure, despite Foxholes being one of the villages where an outreach service is planned although we have no idea yet what form it will take."

Neighbouring offices at Wetwang and Burton Fleming also face closure, she said.

Many pensioners have already written letters to the Post Office objecting to the closure.

In addition to running the part time office at Foxholes, Mrs Milner also runs sub post offices at Sledmere and Rudston one day a week, but those hours are being pruned to just two hours. She has run the existing office for some five years, but previously ran it for seven years when it was based at Foxholes Garage.